


The Charlatan's Seduction Plan

by Vorcha_Girl



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Romance Novel, Boss/Employee Relationship, Drama & Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Friendship/Love, Harlequin romance AU, Love, Love Confessions, Mutual Pining, Romance, Smut, romance au, two people/one bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2019-11-04 22:32:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 31,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17906909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vorcha_Girl/pseuds/Vorcha_Girl
Summary: Sara Ryder prides herself on being an excellent secretary to her sinfully sexy boss, Reyes Vidal, even if he can be just a little bit too distracting at times for his own good! Still, just because they flirt sometimes it doesn't mean anything! Or it didn't until a business trip goes horribly wrong. Not only do they get stuck pretending to be a couple after Sara's ex shows up, but the resort screws up their booking and they have no choice but to share a room. It doesn't take long for tensions to rise and for Sara to realise that her feelings for Reyes run deeper than she realised, as apparently, do his feelings for her. Sara wants to be with him, but for more than just a night or as a fling.But what does Reyes really want from her?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

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_A/N - This fic started as a **joke** on Tumblr. Just me innocently laughing about the fun we could have if fanfics were written like romance novels ... and this is what I've ended up with. The long and short of it is that I have to thank everyone on Tumblr who supported me (you know who you are - you goblins!), the MECC girls who cheered me on (and possibly laughed at me as much as with me!), and the wonderful Kit! Who did the art for this fic and inspired me to keep going when I tried to slink away and give up. Plus my usual crew of friends who I love dearly._

_This fic is 10 chapters long and I intend to update every week and a half since the entire fic has been pre-written (I know, I'm organised for a change! Don't judge me!). It features the tropes of two people/one bed, fake relationships, boss/secretary relationships, mutual pining, aaaand heck - it's a romance novel AU. If you're going to be sickened by me tossing Reyes and Sara into a modern day setting, then you may not like this! :) But I love it. Enjoy!_

* * *

 

Sara hurried from the elevator and down the plushly carpeted hallway of Collective Imports, cursing the early morning traffic that had delayed her usual punctual arrival at work. No doubt her workaholic boss, Reyes Vidal, would note her _slightly_ late arrival and make a playful remark. The man missed nothing, and while she usually enjoyed their verbal sparring matches, today she wasn’t sure she could take those golden eyes of his with their razor-sharp perception.  
  
Reyes would know something was wrong, and with his love of puzzles and insatiable curiosity, he wouldn’t stop until he had discovered the source of her melancholy and dragged every detail out of her; something Sara was determined would not happen. After all, her personal life was not his business, and what she had done on her two weeks of Christmas holidays was not his concern.  
  
She paused, glancing into one of the large decorative mirrors that lined the hallway to their offices and checked herself over. Her slender form was encased in her usual work clothes, and though she hadn’t put on much makeup today, her pale skin was clear with a dusting of freckles, and her long chestnut hair had been pulled back into a neat ponytail. It was only her sky blue eyes, startlingly large in her face, that looked haunted. They betrayed her. They told the real story and screamed that she wasn’t okay at all.

Sara turned away from the mirror furiously and continued marching down the hall, determined to behave as if nothing was wrong. So _what_ if her boyfriend of three years had ended their relationship on the first day of her holiday and left her for another woman right before Christmas? She refused to let her personal world interfere with her professional world.   
  
Sara blinked back the tears threatening to well up again as she swung into reception room and hurried over to her desk. Reyes’ office was closed, which meant he was already in and had gone straight to work. She heaved a sigh of relief; at least his morning emails would keep him busy while she composed herself.   
  
She dropped her handbag under her desk and folded herself into her seat, taking a calming breath.

Her holiday had been nothing short of hellish. First, her boyfriend had dropped the bombshell that he was ending their relationship and thought it best that _she_ moved out _her_ apartment. Then, as though that hadn’t been heartbreaking enough, when she tried to talk things through with him and find out why, he'd slapped her in the face with the news that he had been cheating on her with some strumpet called Jeanine! He seemed to almost take pleasure in announcing that he’d been sneaking around with for her for months and they planned to move in together as soon as Sara moved out.   
  
So much for being a kind and sensitive guy!   
  
The initial shock and agony had given way to rage, and Sara had tossed _him_ out of _her_ apartment without a second thought, furiously taking his key off him and informing William that since the majority of the furniture in the house belonged to her too, and since only her name was on the lease, that he could make an appointment to drop by and pick up his belongings at a time that suited him.   
  
She had paused long enough to empty the contents of his closet into a suitcase which she had unceremoniously dumped out the front of her apartment, and had slammed the door in his spluttering face. No doubt he had expected her to weep and wail, to beg him to stay, but she refused to crawl after a man who would cheat on her.

Even for someone who she had loved with all her heart.

Sara's heart squeezed painfully and she swallowed down the misery threatening to swamp her at the thought of the lonely days stretching ahead. Christmas alone had been bad enough; both of her parents had died in a tragic car accident when she was a teenager, and her twin brother, Scott, was working for a private security firm on an archeological dig site in Iran.

William had been more than just her boyfriend; he’d been her family for the last few years, and his betrayal had left a massive smoking crater in her life. With a sigh, Sara switched on her laptop and prepared to bury herself in work so she wouldn’t think about him and what he’d done.  
  
"Boy, I thought I had a rough holiday, but you look miserable. Bad Christmas?"   
  
Her head jerked up at the low drawl of her boss' voice, and a pink flush bloomed on her cheeks as she saw Reyes leaning indolently against the door to his office, his hawk-like eyes fastened on her with keen interest.   
  
How long had he been standing there, she wondered?   
  
Her hand jerked, almost spilling the cup of coffee in its path, and she said a silent prayer of thanks for disposable plastic lids. "Miserable? What makes you at that?"   
  
Reyes quirked an eyebrow and strolled closer, his charcoal business suit highlighting the powerful width of his shoulders and the leanness of his hips. "Something in your eyes." His gaze roved over her features, taking in far more than Sara wanted him to see, though she defiantly refused to look away. "Plus you're here later than usual." He frowned, concern darkening his features. "Normally you beat me in. Everything okay?"   
  
Sara could have heaved a sigh of relief; he was curious about what she was late, that was all.

“It wasn’t the best Christmas,” she admitted, fiddling with the pens on her desk. “I had some … domestic problems.”

He snorted. “Trouble on the homefront? What did William do now?” Sara could barely stop herself from wincing at his name, and this time, Reyes did notice her reaction. He frowned and scooted around the side of the desk, like a bloodhound who had picked up a scent. “Something did happen didn’t it?”

It was the tone of concern that did it, and she shook her head as the stupid tears welled up again. She sniffed loudly and scrambled for a tissue. “It’s silly. William and I ….”

Reyes groaned. “Oh God, did he ask you to marry-”

“He’s been cheating on me,” Sara rushed to stop him mid-sentence, and she dashed her tears away as they began to trickle down her cheeks. “For months apparently, so I threw him out of the apartment.”

Reyes froze, and for a moment he stared at her as though he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Cheating on you?” He sounded incredulous, as though he couldn’t believe anyone would do such a thing. “You you mean you broke up?” And when Sara glanced up, she saw his eyes were wide. “He broke up with you over _Christmas_?”

Sara shifted awkwardly in her seat and shuffled some papers around on her desk, avoiding eye contact as she felt that molten gaze bore down. “He said I was boring,” she said finally, flinching as she remembered the way he’d tossed the accusation at her during their fight.

“You? Boring?” her boss all but spluttered, and his outraged tone almost brought a smile to her lips. “You’re a lot of things, Sara. But boring isn’t one of them.”

She gave him a watery smile. “He … he also told me I was frumpy and plain.” She tugged on her admittedly dull work blouse, swallowing hard. “And said that I wouldn’t know how to be sexy even if I read a step by step instruction guide.” Sara sniffed suddenly, and tears began to fall in earnest.

William Spender, her now ex-boyfriend, had also called her a workaholic, a cold fish, and had implied that while she’d been dedicating her time to working hard and saving money for their future together, he’d been having fun and spending _his_ money with Jeanine on his many work trips.

So why did she feel so damned awful that he’d dumped her?

Sara clenched one slender hand into a fist. She’d taken immense pleasure in marching him out of their apartment and telling him to find himself a hotel for the night. Thankfully she hadn’t committed the ultimate idiocy of getting a joint bank account with him as he’d asked, so at least she would be spared that inevitable hassle as they dismantled the life they’d built together.

And yet … _it hurt._

It hurt that after all their years dating, living together, and so many happy memories, he had treated her so cruelly and walked away without a second glance. As though she were nothing.

Had everything meant so little?

Was she really such a fool?

The tears welled up faster, and she reached for another tissue as small sob escaped her.

“Hey, now!” Reyes swept her into his arms as the tears began to roll down her cheeks. “Don’t you dare cry for that bastard, do you hear me? I know I never met the guy, but he isn’t much of a man if he treated you like that. He’s not worth it.”

 

 

She nodded as he folded her against his chest. Normally she’d have been horrified to let Reyes see her so vulnerable, and mortified at the thought of him holding her so tight. Reyes Vidal was a notorious playboy; she knew better than most since half of his hookups seemed to think it was appropriate to call him at work to try to arrange second dates. Accidentally encouraging him or letting him think that she might be interested in that way was the last thing Sara wanted.

Not that she _hadn’t_ thought about him like that, or course she had. Hell, there had even been a moment at the company Christmas party last year when she’d bumped into Reyes under the mistletoe and had thought for a moment, just for a moment, he’d been doing to kiss her. The way he’d looked at her had been, well, _intense_.

Sara shivered at the memory. But they’d been drinking and flirting all night, everyone had, so it was no wonder things had become a little confused. And he _hadn’t_ kissed her in the end. His date had appeared and dragged him away instead. Anyway, even if Reyes was extremely attractive and sometimes they flirted like mad - he was still her _boss_ and she was just a secretary.

Sara sniffled, remembering that William had refused to come to that party. He’d never come to any of her work functions, though he always expected her to attend all of his. The unfairness of it all suddenly hit her, and she clung to Reyes harder as a new way of anger and grief washed over her.

Reyes’s arms tightened as though sensing her distress, and Sara nestled closer, basking in the kindness and understanding he silently offered. She soaked up his comforting presence like a sponge. And for a moment, just for a moment, she tried to let herself mourn for the end of a relationship that she’d clung to for so long.

… Only for some reason, now that she was in Reyes’ arms, she was finding it very hard to think about anything except Reyes himself! The strong muscular arms wrapped around her certainly were a welcome distraction, and Sara found herself wondering what it would be like if she let Reyes comfort her in another, even more physical way.

Perhaps on her desk? But … _how_ ? An image of her bent over with him behind her flashed through her mind, and her cheeks burned. No. Something more romantic surely _._ Reyes would sweep everything off her desk in one grand gesture and lay her on the desk, of course, his eyes burning as he leaned down and unbuttoned her blouse and slid down her skirt-

_Don’t be silly!_ Sara told herself fiercely, shaking free of the daydream as she disentangled herself from her boss and stepped back, her entire face bright pink. _He’s just being comforting. Even if you really wanted to go to bed with him, he wouldn’t want you anyway; you’re just his secretary!_

And yet, the look Reyes gave her was one of utmost concern, as though he’d like to punch Spender in the mouth for hurting her. It helped, and Sara managed to force a smile as she stepped away, though she could feel her face was still very red from her dreadfully inappropriate thoughts.

“Better?” he asked wryly, his eyes lingering on the tears on her face. He reached up and brushed one away with his thumb.

The tender gesture sent a shiver racing along Sara’s skin, and she nodded quickly. “Feeling much more myself. Thanks boss.”

His mouth quirked at the use of his title and he stepped back, putting a professional distance between them again. “Good.” He gave her a thoughtful look. “Maybe you need a little break away from your apartment and all those memories?”

“A break?” she blinked at him. “I can’t just move out.”

He grinned. “Nothing like that, but I have an idea.”

Puzzled, Sara nodded slowly and sat back down at her desk as Reyes vanished into his office. The man might have been clever and a wiz with the import business, but sometimes she didn’t understand him at all.

She didn’t give their conversation much thought as the days went on, and she tried as best she could to focus on work matters. Routine would be key for getting over William, she told herself time and again. And work would play a big part in that. If she caught Reyes watching her from time to time she didn’t think much of it, especially as he did seem genuinely concerned about her.

It was Friday when Reyes broke their normal routine and brought up her ex again, quizzing her on how she was feeling, and for all the world acting as though he cared. Which he probably did. A depressed secretary probably wasn’t as efficient as a happy one, she thought bitterly.

“Things are … okay,” she admitted. “Not great, but I’m being ruthless in the apartment and getting rid of his things.”

“Good. No sense hanging onto unpleasant memories.” He considered her for a moment and then smiled, leaning towards her slightly. “I’ve been meaning to ask, do you think you could accompany me on the Kadara Island trip next weekend? The contract negotiations are shaping up to be a lot bigger than I expected, and I could use you there to help out.”

_Kadara Island trip?_ Reyes had done a million negotiation trips like this before without her help. Realisation hit Sara like a hammer, and she narrowed her eyes.

“Is this what you meant earlier in the week? About me having a break?”

Reyes aimed a charming smile in her direction. “I’d deny it, but I’d be lying. You have to admit, some time out of the apartment will do your head a world of good. Not to mention getting you away from the memory of William.” He leaned against her desk and crossed his arms. “To be honest, I do need you on this trip. If I can’t take you, I’ll have to hire a temp, and you know how I feel about having temps working with me on short term assignments.”

He flashed pleading eyes at her, and Sara laughed. “Okay, you win,” she agreed. “Some space _will_ do me good, as will the island air, even if I’m working most of the time.”

“That’s the spirit.” Reyes looked pleased. “And it’s not all bad news, I spent most of my childhood at Kadara, so outside of work hours I can show you the sites and make sure you have a good time - if you’re interested. I know this great seafood restaurant, and a few local hotspots that the tourists won’t know about. Sound good?”

Sara actually felt her spirits lift at his enthusiasm. “Who am I to complain about a weekend on one of the world’s most exclusive resort Islands? I’m in.”

“Perfect. And trust me, as far as work trips go, this is going to be a fantasy.” Reyes stood up and casually squeezed her shoulder. “I’ll pick you up on Friday morning.”

She nodded and watched him walk away, trying not to look at her desk and remember what her last particular workplace _fantasy_ had involved. It was bad enough that her shoulder was tingling where he’d touched it, and butterflies were dancing through her tummy at the thought of spending the weekend alone with her boss.

“And he is your boss!” Sara reminded herself under her breath. “No more flights of fancy just because you’re a free agent now! Reyes Vidal is totally out of your league, and one hundred percent not interested in you, so just forget about it.”

Despite her words, the butterflies in her tummy kept fluttering.

* * *

 

_A/N - I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! ^_^ ...I wonder what will happen in the second chapter when they reach Kadara Island! ;) I'd love to know what you think, but no pressure! Though please do take a moment to thank the wonderful Kit for her art. She's brilliant and you should check out her website and Tumblr._


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies on the delay with this chapter - I had a family member pass away and everything else in my life got put on hold for a time. I do want to say a massive thank you to everyone who read the last chapter, and especially to everyone who left me such wonderful comments and reviews. They really made my day! ^_^ This chapter doesn't have any art, but it does have one of my favourite moments from the whole fic! I hope you continue to enjoy it.

* * *

 

The following week passed slowly. Sara ruthlessly sorted through her belongings in a massive cleanout during which she purged everything that did not ‘ _spark joy_ ’. Photos, holiday souvenirs, and jewellery William had bought her; everything that reminded her of him went into the bin. Work became her sanctuary, and she threw herself into her job to avoid the loneliness of her apartment.

Unfortunately, work held pitfalls of its own.

She and Reyes had always maintained a playful relationship while they worked, but something had shifted recently. The change was slight and subtle, but Sara felt it in her core.

She caught him watching her occasionally when he thought she was distracted. Each time she looked up from her desk and met his eyes something fluttered nervously in her stomach, but rather than confront the growing emotion she stuffed it back down and looked away. Undoubtedly he was keeping an eye on her in case she dissolved into tears again or fell apart, and she couldn’t blame him after the way she’d embarrassed herself after the holidays by crying all over him.

And yet … she had the strangest feeling that Reyes hadn’t _minded_ lending her a shoulder to cry on.

 _He really is a nice guy_ , she reminded herself, _and handsome too_. Which was true enough. Now that she was single again she couldn’t see anything wrong with allowing herself to acknowledge Reyes as a man instead of only as her boss.

Always before she had kept things professional, except perhaps for the _occasional_ harmless bit of flirting, but William had always been the only man she had ever had eyes for. Sara ground her teeth furiously; _not anymore_! Now that she was single and seeing Reyes through different eyes, she could see what it was that the flock of other women in his life finally saw in him.

Not that _she_ was as susceptible to him as _they_ were. Her heart still ached when she thought about William’s betrayal, and her apartment was horribly empty when she came home each day.  She hated to admit it, but as angry as she’d been when she’d tossed him out that first night, she missed him, and lay awake for hours at a time wondering what it was that the his new girlfriend had that she didn’t.

Sara didn’t allow herself to poke at that wound too deeply, and Reyes provided a welcome distraction at work, continuing to be charming and friendly as they worked. When Friday, the day of their trip, rolled around, he picked her up drove her to the airfield, where they took a private helicopter to the Island. The client Reyes was meeting there for the next three days, a woman named Sloane Kelly, ran the only resort on the island, and she required his services to discreetly import a range of exotic products.

It was only when they reached the exclusive five star resort that things started to go wrong.

“You check in,” Reyes said as they arrived, “and I’ll organise our luggage.”

Sara nodded and made her way to the reception, where a pretty young lady with immaculate makeup smiled in greeting at her. The reception was busy, and people were bustling back and forth as she stepped up the desk and away from the crowd.

The woman cast an appraising glance at her, taking in her wrinkled travel clothes and exhausted appearance. “Checking in?”

“Yes, I have a booking for Reyes Vidal?” Sara passed over the corporate card without being asked. She’d travelled on business with Reyes enough times to know the drill by now.

The receptionist typed in the booking and smiled widely. “Ah yes, I have it right here. We have you in Suite 22. Here’s your keycard. Now, would you like a-”

 _One room,_ Sara realised, a tiny frisson of panic shooting through her. _They’d made a mistake and put them both in the one room._

“Wait,” Sara cut her off. “I booked two rooms, not one.”

“Hmm, let me check.” The receptionist’s smile turned slightly frosty, and she turned back to her computer and typed something in, considering the screen. “No, just one room was booked.” Her eyes flicked back up apologetically. “Normally it wouldn’t be a problem, but I’m afraid we’re hosting a wedding and we’re fully booked.”

“What!” Sara squawked. “But I’m traveling with someone else and we need two rooms! I have the booking confirmation on my email!” She waved her phone. “There must be _something_ you can do!”

“Problem?” Reyes stepped up smoothly beside her, somehow managing to look unruffled and handsome despite having travelled all day.

The receptionist frosty smile warmed, and she cast much more appreciative eyes over him. “As I said to the young lady, the booking is only for a single room on our end. I’m very sorry, I don’t know how this could have happened, but there are no other rooms.”

“Perhaps I could speak to the manage on duty?” he asked, flashing a charming smile.

Sara seethed as she watched the young woman flush and immediately preen under the full force of his attention.

“Of course,” she all but purred. “I’m sure the manager will be happy to talk to you, sir.”

Sara huffed as the receptionist dashed away into a back office. “She’d probably cut off her own head off if you asked.”

Reyes chuckled. “Sometimes a smile goes a long way.”

“And a pretty face,” She sounded bitter to her own ears, and grumpily she busied herself finding the booking confirmation on her phone.

He grinned. “Aaw, you think I’m pretty?”

“I didn’t say that!” Sara felt her cheeks reddening.

“It’s okay,” Reyes took the phone from her hands as she found the booking email. “I’ll never tell anyone.” He winked at her as the manager approached and they went to speak quietly in his office.

She glared after him, and was startled to hear her name a moment later.

“Sara? What are you doing here? Who was that man?”

_That voice._

She knew that voice.

She turned around slowly, her stomach sinking like a rock as she turned to see William, her ex, standing a few metres away, a young attractive blonde snuggled under his arm. She took a step back without meaning to, and felt the blood drain from her face.

“W-William!” She stammered. The blonde was watching her with narrowed eyes, and she whispered something to him. They both smirked, and the blonde stifled a giggle. Sara pulled herself together and straightened. “It’s none of your business why I’m here, or who I’m with.” Anger lanced through her. “I could ask _you_ the same thing.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m here for _the wedding_ , remember? Carl’s wedding? From my work? I had the invitation pinned up on our fridge for weeks, I thought you’d remember, but I guess you were too focused on your job to notice. As always.”

She could vaguely remember receiving a invitation in the mail inviting herself and William to attend a wedding, but she hadn’t really paid it any mind. Sara swallowed hard as the woman under his arm, the horrible creature who had stolen him away, smirked a little wider.

“Willie-kins, maybe we should just check in?” she simpered, curling long nails into his jacket like claws.

William waved her away. “In a minute, I want to know who that was.” He nodded towards the office where Reyes had gone. Suddenly his eyes gleamed, and a look of understanding flashed across his face. “Or did you come here to try and convince me to come back? Is that it? A last desperate attempt to have me in your life?”

“ _What_!?” Sara’s blood boiled, and she curled one hand into a fist, fighting the urge to smack him right in his smug face.

If he thought for one second she would ever beg him to come back he was very sorely mistaken!

The awkward silence was broken by Reyes appearing at her side again.

“Well, do you want the good news, or the bad news?” he asked blithely, apparently unaware of the tension in the air, though Sara saw his eyes slide over to William in a not so casual manner.

She swallowed hard, deciding on a course of action, and praying to any god listening that Reyes would go along with it.

“Sweetie!” she trilled in an overly enthusiastic voice that made her inwardly cringe. “Tell me the good news, of course!” Sara smiled brightly and flung her arms around his neck, leaning into him and pressing her lips to his ear. “That’s _William,"_ she whispered. "Play along, okay? I’ll owe you a huge favour if you do!”

She had a moment to see a startled look on Reyes’ face as she pulled back, and then he schooled his expression into carefully relaxed lines.  To her surprise, he more than played along, and without any prompting, he slung a casual arm around her waist and tucked her against him possessively.

“ _Sweetie_?” William repeated, his eyes flashing. “But … what …? I’ve only been gone a few bloody weeks and you’ve met someone?”

Reyes bared his teeth at her ex in a smile, and even from her side view Sara could see that it wasn’t a very friendly grin at all. “Yes, and what enjoyable weeks they’ve been. I take it you’re the ex? Good thing you took yourself out of the picture. It would have been quite awkward if my Sara had been with another man when I’d swept her off her feet. Cheating on someone is so unnecessary, don’t you think?”

“What? I don’t … I wouldn’t ...” William went grey in the face and then gave himself a small shake. “What do you mean ‘ _Your_ _Sara’_? You’ve only just met her!”

Reyes just smiled, and ignored William completely as he turned back to Sara. “Our room is ready.” His hand slid down to her hip and his golden eyes gleamed. “Shall we?”

 _He was enjoying this!_ Sara realised as Reyes’s thumb brushed small possessive semi-circular patterns on her hip. Her mouth ran slightly dry at the look in her boss’ eyes, and she gave herself a small shake as she realised she was playing a dangerous game with him.

“That sounds wonderful.” She pulled herself together enough to throw a disdainful look at William. “Enjoy your weekend, William. I’ll be sure to enjoy _mine_.”

“Like hell you will-”

She heard her ex splutter and saw him start towards them, but before she could do anything Reyes swept her into his arms and brushed his lips against hers. It was a chaste kiss, barely even worthy of the name, but Sara felt her cheeks suffused with heat as soon as he pulled away. She let her hair fall in front of her face to hide her blush, and allowed Reyes to pull her away from the now silent William who appeared to have run out of steam at the sight of that kiss.

 _Good_ , she thought vengefully. _That’ll show him I’m not sitting around mourning his loss._

“Well, that was unexpected,” Reyes murmured when they were out of earshot, and she looked up to see him grinning like the devil himself. “You should have seen the look on his face when I kissed you, everything was worth it for that alone.” He started to laugh and then seemed to realise he still had an arm around her. She gave a small wiggle and he let her go. “I hope I wasn’t out of line there? I was just trying to give you all the support I could. You know,” he glanced at her and cleared his throat, “maybe win boss of the year?”

Sara flushed as the memory of his lips on hers flooded back into her head. “It was perfect. Thank you. I’m sorry to have just … thrown myself at you like that.”

“You can throw yourself at me anytime, Sara.” Reyes’s tone was playful, but his eyes were intense as they stopped outside of their door, and the butterflies in Sara’s tummy went crazy. “Okay, so the bad news.” He held out the keycard and grimaced. “The bad news is that we are stuck sharing a room. There aren’t any others available.”

Sara swallowed hard, suddenly realising how close to Reyes she was standing in the hallway, and how much taller than her he was. She had to tilt her head up to look at him. “But-”

“But,” he interrupted softly, his mouth quirking as though sensing her protests, “we’re both adults and one of us can take the couch.” He swiped the key card and waved her in. “I swear I’ll be the perfect gentlemen.”

Sara crossed her arms as the door opened. “Why don’t I believe you, Mr Vidal?”

He chuckled. “Probably because I’m usually lying, but in this case, you can trust me, Miss Ryder.”

She hesitated for a heartbeat and then sighed and slipped into the room. She trusted Reyes with her life, but the thought of trying to relax or sleep in the same room as her boss was beyond strange. Their bags were brought up a few minutes later, and Sara awkwardly put hers to the side, not sure what Reyes expected her to do.

He glanced at her as he slung his suitcase up onto one of the wardrobe benches and opened it up. “You’re not going to change?”

“I’d normally shower, but I thought you might like to change first?” Sara shifted uneasily. “You’re the boss afterall.”

Reyes didn’t seem uncomfortable with the situation at all, and only grinned. “Thanks. I could do with a shower.”

He gathered up his toiletries bag, his clothes and strode into the bathroom, closing it behind him. Sara let her breath out in a hiss and sank onto the couch. Her heart was thundering in her chest and she felt … _nervous_. Which was ridiculous since Reyes was only her boss and they spent hours each day in each others company.

Hell, when she thought about it, she’d probably spent more time with Reyes in the last few years then she had with William, especially if you factored all of their work trips into the equation.

 _This is different,_ a little voice insisted. _You don’t usually sleep in the same room as him._

She shushed the voice and got up again, determined to find some clothes and be ready to use the bathroom when he was done. The meetings wouldn’t start until tomorrow, so the remainder of today would be hers to do with as she wished. Normally, she would take a shower and curl up on the couch with her laptop.

But with Reyes here…

The bathroom door opened on a roll of steamy air, interrupting her thoughts.

“Shower’s yours if you want it,” Reyes said, his voice muffled as he vigorously toweled his hair dry.

Sara glanced up to reply and her mouth ran dry as she took him in. He was wearing blue jeans and nothing else. One hand still held the shirt he was clearly going to put on, and the other held the towel which he was using to rub his damp hair. The spicy scent of whatever shower gel he used scented the air, and her pulse rate shot up as she took in his bare chest.

Reyes had always been devastatingly good looking in the business suits he wore to work each day, but he was a knock out with his shirt off. His chest was muscular enough to suggest he worked out regularly, but not overly muscled like some of the men at her gym. And he had an interesting sprinkling of scars across his chest that Sara, embarrassingly, itched to touch and explore.

Helplessly, she watched beads of water slowly inch their way down the flat planes of his stomach and over the muscles of his six pack … then lower, across the V of muscle that disappeared into his jeans. With a wrench, she dragged her eyes off the parts of his anatomy which she didn’t dare to linger on, and tried to force them higher. His shoulders were wide and well muscled, and his arms were beautifully proportioned.

And … _oh God._

He was watching her stare at him.

Sara’s face erupted into flames as Reyes grinned knowingly, and she shot past him into the bathroom like a scalded cat, all but slamming the door in his smug face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N - Hehe, poor Sara! Though who can blame her? I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and the next update will be along soon. In the mean time I'd love to know what you thought. Comments and reviews always brighten my day.


	3. Chapter 3

_ A/N - Once again, a big thank you to everyone reading along and an especially big thank you to those amazing people who left me comments and reviews on the last chapter - you guys made me so happy. I'm honestly having so much fun with this fic each time I go in and edit a chapter to get it ready for posting! ^_^ Hopefully everyone enjoys this chapter too. _

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When Sara emerged from the bathroom half an hour later - after a leisurely shower and blow drying her hair - Reyes had thankfully donned his shirt. He was sitting on the couch with his laptop open, apparently so absorbed in his work that he didn’t notice her. For a moment, Sara watched him, her mind whirling as she tried to make sense of the strange new attraction she felt for him, then she squashed it down and strode across the room to her bag.

He stretched, his shirt pulling tight across his chest and Sara stumbled mid-step as a vivid memory of what he’d looked like without his shirt on blazed through her mind, causing her cheeks to flame in response. Reyes glanced up as she tripped, his eyes sweeping briefly over the casual outfit she wore before he looked back at his laptop, his expression unreadable.

For some reason, his lack of response rankled, and Sara deposited her toiletries bag back in her suitcase with far more force than was necessary. She snuck a glance back over her shoulder at Reyes; he seemed distracted, and was staring off into space and smirking to himself. 

_ Was he disappointed that she hadn’t come out flaunting more skin as he had done, _ she wondered, and then immediately wondered why she even cared.

It was as though he sensed her eyes on him, and he glanced up, his gaze finding hers. Sara felt as though she’d been caught doing something naughty, and she could feel her cheeks warming yet again as Reyes held her gaze for a long moment. Finally, when she thought she couldn’t take the silence any more, he spoke.

“Hungry?” He asked, snapping his laptop closed and vaulting to his impressive height. “I thought we could have a quick dinner and then go for a walk around the island while I bring you up to date on the latest developments with the deal?” 

_ Work, _ Sara realised with some surprise.  _ He wanted to talk about work _ .

“Sounds good.” She grabbed her purse and ran a quick comb through her hair. “But I thought the contract was in the bag?”

He grimaced. “Not quite. They’re meeting with other potential contractors. I know one of them, Kian Dagher. We’re … friends, you could say. Friends of a sort anyway, and used to work together.” Reyes face darkened briefly, and though Sara was curious, she didn’t ask any personal questions as she followed him out of the room and down the hall.

“So he’s a friend  _ and  _ a competitor?”

“Potentially. He’s mainly in the liquor business, but I’m not sure which of the contracts he’s angling to get. Anyway, I’d rather not talk about Kian tonight.” The shadowed look passed through his eyes once more, and then Reyes focused on her. The darkness faded as something lively and hot burst into his gaze. “I think after all the excitement earlier we could both do with a treat. I know a great little seafood restaurant down by the beach that does amazing food. What do you say?”

Sara blinked at the abrupt change of topic. 

“ _ Excitement _ ?” she couldn’t believe even Reyes was so conceited as to refer to himself as exciting, but apparently he was. “I know you have a high opinion of yourself, but I hardly think seeing you shirtless counts as  _ exciting _ .”

His looked genuinely surprised for a moment, then he chuckled huskily, and Sara’s blood sizzled, her body reacting to the masculine expression in his eyes. 

“How interesting,” he drawled. “I was referring to our encounter with good ol’ William, but it’s nice to know that I’m not the only one who still has our little  _ moment  _ on their mind.” Reyes leaned closer, and Sara shivered as she caught a whiff of his familiar spicy cologne. It stirred something in her belly, and she felt a rush of tingling warmth pass through her core. “Besides,  _ you're  _ the one who almost devoured  _ me  _ with her eyes. Good thing I’m a man of restraint.”

The tension between them rose, swirling and deepening, and Sara swallowed, hardly daring to breath as Reyes leaned closer, his eyes dropping to her mouth.  _ Would he kiss her? _ She wanted him to. She wanted to feel his body against hers again, to have the strength of his arms holding her tight, and feel the heat of his chest against hers.

But Reyes stopped at the last moment and pulled away, breaking the spell. “Not that I blame you, I do look good with my shirt off.”

Sara swallowed, her heart pounding as she scrambled to gather her wits. “God, you’re full of yourself, Vidal,” she heard herself say in a voice that sounded remarkably normal. “Next time just put a shirt on and don’t take me by surprise.”

He chuckled. “Whatever you say, boss.”

Sara rolled her eyes. “Don’t I wish.”

“Seriously.” Reyes stopped and caught her hand, all playfulness gone. “I want you to be comfortable staying with me in that room. When we’re in there, what you say goes:  _ you’re the boss _ . And that goes for  _ everything _ .”

She nodded, incredibly aware of his hand holding hers, of the pressure of his thumb against her palm. His eyes were so  _ intense _ . She had the feeling that if she wanted him to, he  _ would  _ kiss her. That he’d race her off to bed and do anything to her that she asked. The memory of the kiss from earlier rose up unbidden; the pressure and warmth of his lips on hers, and she cleared her throat and stepped away before she said or did something embarrassing.

_ He’s your boss! _ She told herself sterny, _ and you don’t take your work home with you, especially not into your bed! _

“Well, my first request is for you to keep your shirt on,” she asked in mock seriousness. “And your pants for that matter.” 

Reyes held her gaze for a touch longer than was necessary, then he slowly grinned and nodded. “Sure, I’ll keep my shirt on until you say otherwise. It’ll make showering a pain, but I’ll do what I can.”

Sara rolled her eyes and said nothing, struggling to maintain her straight face. If he wanted to flirt, then let him; she wouldn’t raise to his bait. Even still, she could almost hear her face sizzling from the heat in her cheeks.

“You know what I meant. Anyway,” she floundered for a change of topic and latched onto dinner, “where’s this restaurant?” 

If Reyes noticed how flustered she was, he didn’t say anything as he dropped her hand and led the way. It wasn’t a long walk and Sara was feeling more herself by the time they got there. They walked past several upmarket restaurants along the way, but Reyes walked confidently past them, and took her off the main street and into the side alleys near the beach.

The restaurant, when they found it,  didn’t look like much on the outside. In fact it didn’t even look like a restaurant; more a run down bar. Sara hesitated, glancing dubiously at the tacky glass buoys dangling like oversized wind chimes either side of the front door. All the place needed was a pirate with a wooden leg and a parrot on his shoulder and it would have been the picture perfect shanty bar.

“This is the place?” Given Reyes’ expensive tastes; she hadn’t expected a run down shack in desperate need of a coat of paint. “Are you sure?”

“What? Too good to eat with the locals?” He teased, catching sight of her expression. “My parents used to bring me here as a boy, and the same couple still own it. It was my favourite restaurant.”

_ Great. She’d insulted his favourite restaurant. _

Guiltily, Sara shrugged and tried to make light of her hesitation. “I suppose I wasn’t expecting something quite so … down to earth. Maybe I don’t know you as well as I thought?”

“Maybe not,” he agreed, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he pushed open the door, gesturing for her to enter. “There’s quite a few things you don’t know about me. We’ll have to change that now that we’re masquerading as a happy couple this weekend.”

Sara couldn’t help but laugh. “Just as long as you’re prepared for when I dump you at the end of the weekend,  _ sweet heart. _ ”

“Ouch.” Reyes followed her in, and Sara could swear she felt his eyes lingering on her.

The interior was small, dimly lit and had a homey feel. They were shown to a candlelit table in the back corner by a smiling elderly lady who greeted Reyes like an old friend, kissing him on the cheek and smiling warmly at Sara as Reyes introduced her in his native tongue. She accepted the menu eagerly, her stomach rumbling now that she could smell the delicious scent of cooking seafood.

They ordered and tucked into their meals as soon as they arrived. Reyes had ordered Sara a local seafood soup with razor clams since she couldn’t read the menu, while he had ordered himself a seafood platter with what seemed a silly amount of shellfish and prawns. The food was delicious and the evening passed pleasantly enough. Reyes was funny and lively, and she enjoyed talking to him about his childhood on the island while she swapped stories about her own childhood and the trouble she and her twin brother had got up to.

It was after dessert when things started to go sour.

“How did you end up with William?” Reyes asked suddenly, setting aside his dessert. “Not that I want to poke the bear, but he seemed like a bit of a jerk. And you’re not. You’re-” he trailed off, and his eyes met hers as he cleared his throat. “I suppose all those years working with you, I imagined you were going home to somebody different. Not someone like  _ that _ .”

He sounded almost  _ bitter _ , and Sara blinked with surprise.

“He and my father worked together.” Sara dropped her gaze to her dessert and pushed some cream around with her spoon. “William and I started dating when I finished high school. I was young and he was my first real boyfriend. I never thought he’d-” she couldn’t bring herself to say  _ cheat _ , and she shrugged instead. “Well, you know. I never thought he’d be unfaithful.” She looked back up again, realisation hitting home with the force of a sledge hammer. “He’s here with  _ her _ to go to a wedding did you know? A wedding William and I were supposed to go to  _ together _ . He brought her to the wedding even though it was my name on the invitation. What kind of a bastard does that?”

_ It hurt _ , she acknowledged.  _ It hurt that he’d chosen another woman over her. _

But she wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of more tears.

Reyes was quiet for a moment, then he drew in a deep breath. “He’s the kind of man who doesn’t deserve you. If his new girlfriend was happy to steal another woman’s man, then they deserve each other. I know it hurts, broken hearts do, but you deserve someone who can make you happy. Someone who appreciates and cherishes you.”

Again, that intensity was back in his voice, and without warning Reyes reached out and gave her free hand a squeeze. 

Sara frowned.  _ What did Reyes know about broken hearts? He didn’t know anything about heartache and longing! He’d never had to watch the person he loved in the arms of someone else! _

“It’s not that easy, Reyes! I loved him and he … he ...” Angrily she shook off his hand and dropped her spoon into her bowl with a clatter. Fighting back tears, she stood up. “I need to get some air. I’m sorry.”

She fled outside before Reyes could stop her, though she heard him swear softly behind her. Outside the night air was cool against her flushed skin, and she sucked in a deep breath and tried to calm her whirling thoughts. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore and the wind whispering through the palm trees was soothing, and after a few minutes the tightness in her chest eased.

She should go back in there and apologise to Reyes for rushing out on him. He’d been trying to make her feel better about herself and her situation and she'd snapped at him and run off.

Not to mention he was her  _ boss _ !

Her stomach plummeted. At some point tonight the lines had blurred, and she'd forgotten that crucial fact.  As kind and understanding as he was, Reyes Vidal was still her boss and if she upset him enough he might decide it was easier to just hire a new secretary.

Sara straightened to her full height and turned back to the restaurant, intending to march back in side and apologise, when the door opened and Reyes stepped out, pocketing the receipt. He handed her her purse and paused in front of her, looking sombre.

_ Say it! _ Sara urged herself.  _ Apologise for biting his head off! _

“Sorry.” 

But it wasn’t Sara who spoke first, it was Reyes, and he grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess I kind of overstepped myself back there. Your relationship with William and why it ended isn’t my business.”

_ It was true _ , Sara though, but she’d made it his business when she dragged him into the fake relationship with her.

Shaking her head, she stepped forward. “No, I’m the one who should be sorry. You were just sympathising with me and I snapped at you. I’m sorry I got so defensive, I just…” she shrugged and trailed off. “I guess I feel like a fool.”

“Don’t be sorry, and don’t feel embarrassed because of what that bastard did.” Reyes rubbed a hand over his face and laughed softly. For the first time since Sara had met him she sensed he was out of his element, that he was floundering and without a plan. 

_ But a plan for what? _

She churned with curiosity, wondering if Reyes had ever fallen in love, or if someone had broken his heart in the not so distant past. He sounded so lost, as though he knew exactly how she was feeling.

But did he?

“Reyes, I mean it. I’m sorry-”

“And I mean it too, Sara,” he interrupted softly, offering her a wry little smile that made her stomach flutter. “We’re all fools in love.”

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_ A/N - Hehe. I wonder what Reyes could possibly be talking about? Hmmm? :) I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. As always reviews are very welcome. _


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N - as always many thanks to those of you reading along, and especially to those people who left me reviews - for realsies, you guys made my week! Apologies that this chapter is a few days late - it was the end of the school term and I was super busy with marking and reporting. To make up for it, I plan to post chapter 5 next week! Yay! I hope you guys really enjoy this chapter, I adore it! :)_

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“So,” Sara eyed the king-sized bed which dominated their room and then side-eyed the couch; it seemed woefully inadequate in comparison. “Who gets the bed?”

Reyes raised his eyebrows, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards in what looked like a smirk. “You’re the boss in here, remember? It’s your call.”

He seemed amused by her indecision, and she frowned at him. Did he _seriously_ expect her to ask him to sleep on the couch? For all his talk that she was “ _the boss_ ” in this room, he was still her actual boss and this was a work trip! One bad decision and, for all she knew, Reyes would be writing up a letter of termination for her on Monday.

Sara sighed and shifted uncomfortably.

She still felt strangely off-balance with him, and the close confines of their hotel room seemed to amplify the effect he had on her. Despite her best efforts to stop, she kept replaying the kiss from the lobby earlier. And God knew she’d tried to think about other things! After dinner they’d walked around for an hour or so, going over their plan for the meeting in the morning and revising facts. Sara had hoped that focusing on work would help dispel the intimate atmosphere building between them, to put things back on a more professional level, but walking around alone with Reyes in the moonlight hadn’t helped with _that_ at all.

The silence in the hotel room stretched on, and Sara realised she had been quiet for too long.

“I’ll take the couch,” she decided abruptly, kicking off her heels and dropping her purse on the table. “The bed is yours.”

Reyes grinned. “That’s kind of you, but I wouldn’t be much of a gentleman if I didn’t let you have it.”

“A gentleman?” She eyed him as he strolled to the bed. “You’re a lot of things Reyes, including a great boss, but office gossip has never pinned you as a gentleman.”

He let out a chuckle as he took a pillow from the bed and walked across to the wardrobe. “You should know better than to listen to idle gossip. I’m a perfect gentleman when I want to be.” Reyes shot her an amused glance and then opened the door, rummaging up high. “I’m sure there’s a spare blanket here… bingo!”

Sara watched helplessly as he retrieved the blanket. “Reyes … you won’t fit on the couch. Besides, you’re the boss and you need your sleep for the meeting tomorrow. I can’t let you sleep there. It’s not a big deal for me to take the couch.”

He sidestepped around her and dropped the pillow and blanket on the couch. “Nonsense, I insist. Besides, I’ve slept in worse places.”

She crossed her arms. “ _Reyes_!”

“Sara!” he mimicked her tone and spread his arms wide in a mocking bow. “Look, it’s enough that we’re having to share a room, the least I can do is make it easier on us by doing this.”

“But I-”

His eyes glimmered and he stepped closer. “I tell you what, I’ll take the couch tonight and you can have it tomorrow night? We’ll timeshare. Will that make you feel better?”

It did actually, and she nodded, admitting defeat. “Fine.”

“Excellent. Though, there is just one thing,” Reyes let his voice drop off to a drawl, and he stepped forward again, into her personal space. Sara swallowed as the atmosphere turned electric. She could almost feel the heat coming off his body as he stared down into her eyes.

His gaze dropped briefly to her lips, and again she had the unshakable feeling that Reyes was thinking about kissing her. Her body reacted instinctively, and a burst of lust shot through her, hot and demanding as it curled and tightened in her core.

“W-what is it?” she asked shakily.

He looked back into her eyes again and winked. “I’ve got the bathroom first in the morning.”

Reyes grabbed up some clothes and vanished in the bathroom before she could reply, presumably to get changed and get ready for bed, and Sara flopped down on the bed with sigh. Her body tingling as though she’d just received a mild electric charge.

 _How on earth would she cope with another two night with Reyes_ , she wondered.

He wasn’t long in the bathroom. This time, thankfully, he came out wearing a shirt, though Sara couldn’t help but notice the broad swell of muscle and the impressive breadth of his shoulders under the tight fitting material. If Reyes noticed her watching him he said nothing as he sauntered to the couch. Sara did think she caught the ghost of a smirk on his face and hurriedly looked away.

She took her turn to change and brush her teeth, and when she came back out he was stretched out on the couch, and most of the lights were off. She felt almost naked in her spaghetti strap top and short silky pajama bottoms, but they were comfortable, and she hadn’t been planning on sharing a room with Reyes when she had packed them. He’d come out wearing what looked like gym gear, and though Sara hadn’t been brave enough to ask him, she was left with a strong impression that he usually slept in the nude.

“Can I turn the light out?” she asked as she padded out barefoot and slipped into bed. Only the lamp on the bedside table had been left on.

He nodded, eyes gleaming like that of a big cat as he watched her. “Go ahead.”

Maybe it was Sara’s imagination, but she thought she saw something predatory in his gaze; something hungry.

She clicked off the lamp, let her hair out, and lay down, feeling unaccountably nervous. The darkness and silence stretched around them, and Sara tried to get comfortable, every rustle of the sheet seeming amplified in the black. She lay still for a while, and listened to Reyes toss and turn on the couch. Every few minutes or so he would shift or roll over, not making much noise, but obviously uncomfortable.

The dark pressed thickly around her, and Sara replayed the events of the night as she lay in bed. It was almost a relief not to be thinking about William and his betrayal, except of course now she couldn’t get Reyes and what he had said to her over dinner out of his head. _We’re all fools in love,_ he had said, and for some reason Sara had the distinct idea that he wasn’t talking exclusively about her.

Had someone made a fool out of Reyes?

She shifted slightly and mulled over this thought, wondering what kind of woman could possibly have hurt Reyes Vidal. On the couch, Reyes grumbled something she couldn’t quite catch, and there was a rustling of sheets as he tossed and turned again. The noise was annoying, and Sara sighed as he shifted again a few minutes later again, apparently unable to get comfortable.

 _To hell with this!_ She decided, _he could damn well share the bed with her whether he liked it or not!_

“Okay, this is ridiculous,” she muttered after what seemed like an age of listening to rustling sheets and the creaking of the couch. She clicked the lamp back on and sat up in bed, her hair tumbling around her shoulders.

Reyes sat up, blinking in the sudden light. “Everything okay?”

“No, it’s not.” She aimed a glare at him. “I can’t sleep with you tossing and turning over there every five minutes.”

To her surprise, Reyes’ flushed, and two spots of colour slashed across his cheekbones. “I’m sorry, I-”

“The bed is big enough for both of us, and we’re both adults.” Sara interrupted. “I’m sure we’ll survive sharing a bed.” She half-flung back the covers on the other side. “And, I _can’t_ listen to you toss and turn another minute.”

He winced and rubbed his neck. “I’d argue with you, but this couch really is awful. If you’re sure … ?”

“I’m sure.” Sara glowered at him. “Now hurry up and come to bed.”

Reyes chuckled and grabbed up his pillow. “My dream come true; you ordering me into your bed.”

“Dream on, Vidal.”

“Oh, I will.” But his tone was teasing, playful, and she could see his grin even in the dim light of the lamp.

He snagged his pillow and padded over to bed. Sara had been sleeping in the middle, and she wiggled over to one side, making room for him. The whole situation felt incredibly intimate, and she deliberately looked away as he pulled back the sheets and slid in, settling himself down beside her.

The bed felt different with him in it, _smaller_ , and Sara fought down a tiny shiver of awareness as she caught a whiff of the spicy aftershave he’d been wearing earlier. She glanced over, caught a glimpse of him watching her, and nervously clicked off the lamp off as she lay back down again, her heart thumping in her chest. She tugged the blankets up to her chin, wondering how on earth she would ever get to sleep when her body was humming with awareness at his very presence.

“ _This_ is more like it,” Reyes groaned happily, and the bed gave slightly as he stretched out, his joints cracking. “And I admit it, you were right; that couch was at least five inches too short for me.”

Sara stifled a laugh and curled up around a spare pillow, facing away from him. The silence returned, thick and heavy, and although Reyes didn’t toss and turn, the air still felt disturbed, and she was sure he wasn’t the least bit sleepy either. The silence stretched on, full of nervous energy, and with a sigh, Sara gave up on sleeping.

“What did you mean earlier?” she asked in the darkness. “About people being fools in love?”

Reyes was silent for a moment, and the sheets on the bed pulled slightly as he rolled over; apparently to face her. Sara’s stomach fluttered nervously at the movement.

 _He’s your boss_ , she reminded herself sternly. _And no matter how much he flirts with you, nothing is ever going to happen._

“Everyone does things they regret when they’re in love, that’s all. Sometimes they stay with people that aren’t good for them like you did, and sometimes,” he hesitated. “Well, sometimes when you love someone you have to step back and let then make their own choices. Even when that choice isn't you.”

His voice was soft, and Sara turned over to face him. She could just make out the lines of his face in the dark and the gleam of his eyes. They were lying closer than she had realised, and only a few inches separated them.  

She swallowed. “Have you ever been in love?”

To her surprise, Reyes nodded. “Once.”

“And?” she prompted, curiosity squirming inside of her as she wondered what kind of person had captured his interest.

He drew in a deep breath. “She didn’t love me back.”

“That’s awful.” Sara instantly pictured one of the glamorous ice queens that she had occasionally seen him take out, and had to clench her hand in a fist to stop herself reaching out to comfort him. “She sounds heartless”

“No,” he interrupted her gently. “She’s perfect.”

_Perfect._

A sudden and inexplicable ripple of jealousy passed through her, and she cleared her throat and rolled back over, putting space between them again. “No ones perfect, Reyes. And this woman broke your heart. She doesn’t sound like she’s worth it.”

He snorted. “It’s not that easy, I never told her how I felt and she was in love with another man. I didn’t want to make her life hell or cause her pain, so I just … stayed quiet. I let her make her own choices.”

Sara sighed. “Well, it sounds like you were an idiot.”

“Yeah, I was. But I learned that too late.” Reyes was quiet for a moment. “And like I said, we’re all fools in love.” He rolled over to face the ceiling, and some of the tension evaporated. “Good night Sara, and sweet dreams.”

“Night, Reyes. Sweet dreams to you too.”

He laughed softly, his voice husky in the dark. “They will be.”

Sara bit her lip at his sexy laugh, wondering if he was deliberately flirting again, then cuddled up to her pillow and closed her eyes. Exhaustion rushed upon her immediately, and she gave into the sleepiness swirling at the edges of her vision.

She dreamed of strange things; of William accusing her of having an affair and walking out, and of Reyes comforting her, his strong arms wrapped around her as he held her tight. Sara nestled closer to his warmth in the dream, longing sweeping through her as the dream-Reyes’ clothes evaporated and he held her against the broad expanse of his chest that she’d admired that day.

He was warm. _So warm._ And she nuzzled closer, soaking up that warmth like a sponge.

“Please,” she whispered, gazing up into his golden eyes, desire heavy in the air like a perfumed scent. “Kiss me again?”

“Of course,” Reyes was smiling at her, and his golden eyes twinkled. “You’re the boss.”

And then his lips were on hers and it was heaven...

Sara woke with a start, her heart hammering and body aching with the unfulfilled desire that the dream had left her with. For a moment she struggled to remember where she was, and then she remembered: the island, the hotel … _and Reyes._

Reyes, who was her boss.

Reyes, who she had dreamed about last night.

Reyes, against whose chest she was currently curled, and whose arms were wrapped tightly around her waist!

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_A/N - mwahahahaha! Have I mentioned how much fun I had writing this?  I wonder how Reyes is going to react when he wakes up and finds his sexy secretary curled up in his arms? ;)_


	5. Chapter 5

_ A/N - as promised you get your next chapter a week early! ^_^ Many many thank yous if you're reading along - especially to the amazing people who reviewed the last chapter. My gosh - I loved your thoughts on what would happen in this chapter and where the story is going. I reaaaaally hope that you guys like this chapter.  _

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Sara’s breath caught in her throat as she froze, too shocked to move as the real world and dreamworld collided. 

_ Oh. My. God. _

Her brain whirled, trying to work out how this had happened. Reyes, thank god, seemed to be deeply asleep and blissfully unaware of their predicament. He looked peaceful in the early morning light; contented even, to have his arms wrapped firmly around her waist. 

Evidently at some point in the night they’d snuggled up to each other in their sleep. 

Sara blushed, trying not to think what Reyes would say if he woke up and found her plastered against him like this. She’d  _ never  _ hear the end of it; that was for sure. It didn’t help that her own treacherous body was reacting to the feel of him against her, and the temptation to snuggle back against his chest was strong.

But she wouldn’t give in.

Gritting her teeth, Sara tried to ignore the very male body pressed against hers as she unwound her arms from his neck. He shifted slightly, and she paused, waiting for him to settle before she tried again to disentangle herself without waking him … but his arms stayed stubbornly locked around her waist no matter how she shifted. 

It was no good; she'd have to wake him up. 

“Umm … Reyes?” She tapped him on the shoulder nervously. “Can you, uh, let go of me?”

He opened his eyes sleepily, rubbing his face against the pillow in a habitual movement that tugged at Sara’s heartstrings. For a moment he just stared at her without moving, then the corner of one side of his mouth tugged into a half-smile and his arms tightened ever so slightly around her, pulling her into closer contact with his body. Sara stared at him, unable to look away as something warm and happy glowed in his eyes.

“Sara …”

The sound of her name on his lips was soft, inviting, and her heart fluttered, tingles spreading over her body as he leaned in a fraction, as though to kiss her. She drew in a nervous breath, her hand flexing on Reyes chest automatically, her nails lightly digging into his skin. He hesitated, his mouth hesitating over hers, and then he blinked rapidly, as though coming to his senses, and jerked back.

“Sara!” He immediately let her go, a faint flush highlighting his cheeks as he drew away. “I didn’t … I wouldn’t .... I was still half-asleep...”

Sara desperately wanted to say something flippant and cool, but her heart was pounding, and she couldn’t shake an awful feeling of disappointment that he  _ hadn’t _ kissed her. Instead she scurried to the edge of the bed and nodded, managing to squeak something that sounded like ‘ _ that’s okay _ ’, before grabbing an armful of clothes from her suitcase and fleeing into the bathroom.

“Sara! Wait!” 

She heard Reyes call after her, but she slammed the door quickly, not wanting to face him. 

God. What an idiot she’d been. Cuddling up to Reyes in her sleep had been excusable;  _ she’d been asleep _ ! But then staring up at him like a starstruck idiot and practically willing him to kiss her? What on earth had she been thinking? Sara groaned and buried her face in her hands; she  _ hadn’t  _ been thinking, that was the problem.

Now Reyes was going to think she had a crush on him!

_ Well _ , that little voice in the back of her head spoke up, _ you do think he’s attractive! _

The memory of Reyes shirtless flashed through her mind again, closely followed by the sensation of his body against hers in bed this morning; the strength of his arms, the husky edge to his voice as he had whispered her name, and the warmth in his eyes as he had stared down at her.

He  _ had  _ been staring at her as though he were about to kiss her. She hadn’t imagined that. She had seen that look in William’s eyes often enough to recognise need and hunger when she saw it. But there had been something else in his eyes. Something much softer and deeper than just lust.

Had she imagined it?

Sara shivered, then rolled her eyes at these unhelpful thoughts, and turned the water in the shower all the way to cold. She gasped as icy the spray hit her and any thought of Reyes vanished from her mind.

Today she needed to focus on business, they both did.

She dressed, did her hair and put on makeup in record time, and hurried straight down to breakfast without pausing in the room, leaving Reyes alone to get ready. No doubt he was feeling just as uncomfortable as she was. 

Better  _ not  _ to talk about it.

Dimly, she was aware that ignoring what had happened wouldn’t make it go away. But she squashed that thought like an unwanted bug and concentrated on running over the necessary facts and figures needed for the meeting as she ordered two coffees and found a table in the restaurant to wait for Reyes.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a shadow falling over her.

_ William! _ She thought irritably, having seen her ex-fiance lurking in the lobby before breakfast.

But it wasn’t William.

“Good morning.” An attractive man with an Irish accent greeted her. His eyes gleaming wickedly as he slid into the empty seat uninvited and he noted her look of irritation. “Unless I’m much mistaken, I saw you with my good friend Reyes yesterday, which would make  _ you _ his Sara.” His smile widened as she started in surprise. “Now I understand why he enjoys his work so much.”

_ His Sara. _

The possessive term should have rankled, but didn’t.

In fact, Sara was so busy wondering why she wasn’t bothered by it, that it took a moment for the rest of his statement to sink in. 

_ He knew Reyes. _

She took in the tall rangy figure in the expensive suit, letting her own gaze move over him more leisurely.  _ Another prospective contractor _ , she decided. Reyes had mentioned knowing one of them; a man named Kian who imported liquor. 

“You must be Kian.” Sara extended a hand and smiled politely. “Reyes mentioned an old acquaintance was here.”

Kian laughed, and it was a slightly self-deprecating laugh. “Got it in one. Kian Dagher.” He took her hand and shook it with a smile. “Well, there goes my  _ man of mystery _ act. Trust Reyes to ruin my opening move with a pretty woman.”

Sara grinned back, unable to resist the charm he was pouring at her. “He said you were old friends.”

“Friends, eh?” He snorted, and this time there was no mistaking the self-deprecating tone. “I guess that’s one word for it. You can never really tell with the Charlatan though.”

“The … Charlatan?” She blinked.

Kian chuckled at her expression. “Just a nickname from the old days, love. I don’t think I’ll go into details though. Reyes wouldn’t like me gossiping about he and I and what we got up to back before he met  _ you _ .” His eyes flicked over her and then he smirked as something behind her caught his attention. “Speak of the devil, looks like he’s spotted us.” Kian grinned mischievously and, with no warning, caught her fingers in his and pressed a kiss on the back of her hand. “I think that’s my cue to beat a hasty retreat. It was a pleasure to finally meet you. Give Reyes my best and tell him I said … good luck.” 

Sara blinked. “You don’t have to go. You could join us if you like?”

He laughed. “Nice of you to offer, but trust me, I’m the last person Reyes is going to want hanging around.  Especially when he's … working.” And with that mysterious statement, Kian slid his chair back and melted away. 

Sara watched him go, her curiosity piqued by what he’d said about Reyes and their history together. 

_ The Charlatan. _

Something about that name sounded …  _ dangerous _ .

“What did he want?” Reyes materialised beside her and aimed a scowl at Kian’s retreating back.

Dimly, Sara realised the kiss on her hand had been for  _ his  _ benefit, not hers, and Reyes certainly seemed to have his hackles up about it.

Clearly, Kian had wanted to upset his ‘friend’.

“He just wanted to say hello and introduce himself,” Sara sipped her coffee and nodded at the empty seat. “That’s all.”

He hesitated for a moment, one hand coming to resting on the back of her chair, his fingers brushing against her shoulder in a barely perceptible touch that struck Sara as possessive before he moved and sat down opposite her. Reyes looked grumpy and he glowered into his coffee.

“Kian isn’t the charming man he appears to be,” he mumbled after a few moments, his eyes finding hers. “He’s a playboy  _ and _ he's trouble.”

Sara snorted and rolled her eyes. “Well, if that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black, I don’t know what is.”

“What?!” Reyes sat up straighter, his tone indignant. He looked as though he wanted to argue the point, but after a moment of obvious internal struggle he just looked grouchily back at his drink. “So what else did he say? Anything about me? You two looked very chatty.” He continued to glower at his coffee as of it had personally offended him.

Sara wondered why Kian talking to her had put him on the defensive, but she only shrugged. “He said something about the old days and your nickname being The Charlatan-”

Reyes made a strangled sound and almost choked on his drink. 

Sara ignored him and continued. “-and he flirted a lot, though I think mostly he did it to get under your skin. Though why he’d think you’d care is beyond me. Unless there is something you’re not telling me about your  _ friend _ ?” She looked up to gauge Reyes reaction as she said this, but he seemed suddenly enthralled by the breakfast menu and only made a non-committal sound. “Still, I guess it’s not my business …  _ oh no _ !” It was Sara’s turn to almost choke as she caught sight of William and his new girlfriend breezing into the  breakfast room.

“You guess it’s what?” He looked up at her unorthodox way of finishing a sentence and followed her gaze. “Ah,  _ your  _ ex.” Reyes’ lip curled slightly. “Don’t worry, I’ve got your back …  _ darling _ .”

He caught her hand up in a dramatic motion and Sara smiled weakly.

“My back  _ and _ my hand apparently, thank you.” She watched William for a moment longer. “God, I can’t believe he’s going to be here all weekend.” With a shudder, she determinedly looked away from him. “And I can’t believe I ever thought I loved him.”

Reyes grinned encouragingly. “That’s the spirit. Anything else you want to get off your chest? No other epiphanies?”

“No.” She decided to focus on business and nodded at her briefcase. “Shall we go over the figures for today? I don’t think you need my hand for that?”

“That would be helpful. Though my hand is always there for you. And my shoulder, and my … well,” he winked. “I suppose I can technically throw my bed in there for the next two nights.”

Sara felt a flush creep up her face. “You really shouldn’t say such things.”

For a moment Reyes was silent and Sara could almost feel him deciding what to say next, then he shrugged.

“No,” he agreed quietly. “I probably shouldn’t, but we seem to keep flirting with each other anyway, don’t we?” He leaned back, crossing his arms as Sara gaped at him. “Oh, don’t look at me like I’ve shocked you. One of us was bound to name the elephant in the room eventually. It may as well be me.” He leaned forward as Sara squirmed. “We have chemistry.”

_ Chemistry _ . 

Reyes felt it too; she hadn't imagined it. Sara's world pulled hard to port at that shocking revelation, and she swallowed hastily, still grappling with the idea that Reyes could be attracted to her.

“I … I guess I can’t deny it. But we should be focusing on business right now.” She tightened her grip on the briefcase, unsure of what to think or feel as her emotions churned wildly. 

Work, at least, was safe.

Reyes gave her a long hard look. “If you say so, but we should talk about this later. I like ...  _ this _ .” He gestured at the two of them. “I like this version of you who is more relaxed and laughs with me. I’d like to get to know this side of you better, but,” he smiled grimly and rubbed his eyes. “I also don’t want to lose a friend and scare you off.”

_ A friend _ . Not a secretary or an employee, but  _ a friend. _

Sara glowed.

“You won’t,” Sara said simply and downed her coffee, trying to sound far more in control that she felt. “Now, let’s put that aside for now and revise your plan for today.”

He gave her a mock salute. “Yes, boss.”

The rest of the day Sara tried hard to stay focused during the meetings, but it was difficult when her mind felt like a record stuck in groove, replaying the same thoughts over and over again.

_ Reyes liked her. _

_ Reyes found her attractive. _

_ But … he was her boss!  _

Around and around the thoughts swirled. When they broke for the day she was relieved, and left Reyes to get a drink in the bar while she showered and changed.

What would it be like, she wondered as she dressed, if she threw caution to the wind and did sleep with Reyes? What kind of lover would he be? Passionate? Sensitive? She couldn’t imagine him being cruel or greedy in the bedroom, he was too caring and considerate. She shivered at the thought of those golden wolfish eyes staring at at her while they made love. Of his hands touching and stroking her, and of his mouth-

_ Enough! _ Sara slapped a cover over the imaginary reel that had been playing in her mind and straightened her clothes.  _ There’s no point imagining it, because nothing is going to happen. If I slept with Reyes, things would get strained at work, and I need my job. _

_ But you want to _ , the voice reminded her.  _ You can’t deny that _ .

Sara ignored the voice and made her way back downstairs for dinner, nervous despite having eaten with Reyes a hundred times before. But then they’d never had this kind of tension between them before either. 

_ No, not tension _ , she mentally corrected herself.  _ Chemistry _ .

She bumped into Kian in the lobby. He peeled himself away from the wall when he spotted her, striding purposefully in her direction with an amused grin that made her suspect he'd been waiting for her. 

“Kian,” Sara greeted him, unable to hide the suspicion in her voice.  

“Sara. I’ve just had a lovely drink with Reyes.” He scanned her face, as though looking for a reaction. Whatever he was looking for he didn't see, and after a moment he continued. “He says you two had a good day, a bit of a ‘break through’ day, so to speak?”

Sara shifted uncomfortably, wondering if Kian was about to hit on her in an attempt to get information about Reyes and the contract. “It went fine.”

“Apparently it went more than fine.” Kian smiled, and there was something crafty in his smile that reminded her of a fox. “I thought,” he continued, “that if things continue to go according to plan he may want something better to drink than the hotel’s finest, so I got something from my personal stash, Mount Milgrom Triple Distilled Whiskey.” He help up a bottle of expensive looking liquor, and his eyes gleamed. “Tell Reyes I said it might even help him get a few things out of his system.”

Sara looked at the bottle suspiciously. “Riiiight,” she drawled. “Say, aren’t you and Reyes competing for the same contract?

Kian chuckled. “The contract to supply liquor is being negotiated separately. I can afford to be generous.” 

She hesitated a second longer and then took the whiskey. “I’ll pass it on.”

“Good!” his smile blazed to life, dazzling with it’s brightness. “Enjoy the rest of the negotiations, Miss Ryder. May we all get what we want.”

Kian gave her a jaunty bow and Sara headed for the restaurant, whiskey bottle in hand. Reyes was sitting at a table in the dining area, twisting the stem of his wind glass around in his fingers and looking annoyed. His eyes sought her out as soon as she entered the room, and she smiled nervously. Instantly the annoyed look vanished from his eyes, and she wondered what had happened to put the look there in the first place.

Had it been the drink with Kian?

She set the whiskey bottle down on the table and sat down. “Kian told me to give this to you. He said it was to help you work something out of your system?”

Reyes’ reaction was unexpectedly and inexplicably  _ explosive _ . 

He swore fluently under his breath and snatched up the whiskey bottle as though it was something lewd, shoving it under the table and out of sight. To her surprise, Reyes was flushing again, and he didn’t meet her eyes as he furiously pulled out his phone and angrily sent a text.

“I feel like I’ve missed something?” Sara asked pointedly.

“It’s nothing. Just an … an old joke between friends.” Reyes looked shaken as he put his phone away and continued to avoid her eyes. “Kian has a terrible sense of humor and he shouldn’t have given that to you.”

“He did seem to enjoy making me uncomfortable this morning,” she agreed lightly. “Do you want to let me in on the joke?”

Reyes’s lips tightened, and he shook his head. “Definitely not. It isn’t the kind of joke you’d find very funny.”

Sara let it go, though she had a sinking feeling that Kian was enjoying stirring up his friend far too much to do the same.

They ordered their dinner and a silence descended as they ate, but unlike the usual companionable silence they worked or sat in, this one felt heavy and awkward. Sara pushed the salt shaker around the table when she was finished, sneaking glances at Reyes who was watching her in brooding silence. Finally she set it aside and sighed, setting her elbows on the table as she leaned forward and met his gaze.

“Are we going to talk about it?”

He started. “About what?”

“You know what!” Sara almost rolled her eyes. “What we talked about this morning? The flirting? The way you almost kissed me when you woke up-”

“What? Yes. I mean, no, I …” he swallowed and took a moment to gather his thoughts. “Look, to be fair,” Reyes shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “You were plastered against me and kept wiggling around! You can’t blame me for waking up and getting confused when I was half-asleep.” He crossed his arms, looking defensive. “Besides, I didn’t kiss you. I didn’t do  _ anything _ .”

Sara clenched her teeth. “Are you seriously saying it was  _ my fault _ that you almost did?”

“No, I’m not saying that. I’m just saying I got confused.” Reyes collapsed back against his seat and rubbed his eyes. “And, I guess … I’m just saying we don’t have to talk about it if you won’t want to. It’s been a long day and maybe this isn’t such a good idea.” His eyes fell on the spot where the whiskey had been. “I don’t want you getting the wrong idea about me.”

“What?” She blinked in confusion. “How could I possibly get the wrong idea about you? You’re my boss and we’ve known each other for years.”

He sighed and leaned forward, one of his hands brushing against hers gently. “Because I  _ like  _ you, Sara, and I don’t want you thinking I brought you along on this trip to get you into bed. God knows, Kian thinks I did.”

“ _ What _ ? Is that what all of his hints and winks are actually about? He thinks you’re planning to seduce me?”

“Something like that.”

She snorted. “That’s ridiculous.”

“It’s my own fault, I made a stupid comment that gave him the wrong idea.” Reyes sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. “Look, I do want to talk about this thing between us, and you can’t deny there is something between us, but ... I don’t want to ruin what we already have.”

She blinked. 

_ This _ was not the talk she had expected from Reyes. She had expected flirting and laughter, not his serious-face and all this intensity.

“Maybe,” Sara agreed carefully, “but that doesn’t mean we have to  _ do _ anything about the flirting. I mean, we work together, and it could get awkward if we crossed any lines.” She chewed her lower lip and glanced up at him. “I mean, chances are this is all just bubbling to the surface because of the ‘ _ fake relationship thing _ ’, right? We didn’t feel this way before all of that nonsense started. It’s just a bit of fun that doesn’t mean anything. It’s not like I’m in love with you or anything-”

“You’re right, of course; this _nonsense_ doesn’t mean  _ anything _ ,” he said gruffly and stood up without warning. A muscle in his jaw worked as he clenched his teeth momentarily. “I’ll catch you later. I’m going to take a walk before I turn in the for the night-”

“Wait. Do … Do you want some company?” Bewildered, Sara half-stood to follow him.

Reyes shook his head. “No, I need some time to myself. I’ll see you back in the room.” 

She watched him walk away until his was out of eyesight, taking in his tense shoulders and clipped walk, and then headed up to bed with an oddly hollow feeling in her chest. Sara didn’t know why, but she had the strangest feeling that she’d hurt Reyes during their discussion.

It didn’t feel good.

* * *

 

_ A/N - Oh dear, Reyes is upset about something. Several somethings apparently since Kian managed to make him very self-conscious and then Sara hurt his feelings. I wonder what the second night will hold for our couple? Will they be sharing a bed again, or has Sara thrown too big of a spanner in the works? ;) _


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N - Again, a huge thank you if you're reading along. This did get delayed by a night as I watched Avengers Endgame last night, and then got a migraine this morning. But I'm super appreciative to everyone who has been reading and reviewing - you guys have seriously made my week with your messages and reviews. I hope you LOVE this chapter. I've been putting my all into editing this chapter to make it as good as possible. Enjoy the art, and please make sure you send a special thank you to artsyblacksheep (Kit) who did the beautiful art for this chapter!_

* * *

 

Sara made the decision to sleep on the couch and, after leaving Reyes’ whiskey prominently on the table where he'd see it, she built herself a nest of pillows and blankets. It was an uncomfortable place to sleep, lumpy and awkward, but it seemed better to sleep here then risk embarrassing herself again with another night in Reyes’ bed. Not after the snuggling and the _almost_ -kiss this morning.

...and her dreadfully enthusiastic response to it.

God knows what she’d wake up and find herself doing if she stayed there a second night. Better to try to snatch a few hours sleep on the sofa then to roll the dice of fate and stay another night in the den of sin. Not when her boss was far too tempting for his own good!

It was beyond Sara how she hadn’t noticed how sexy he was _before_ this trip.

Reyes turned up half an hour after she had curled up on the couch. He took one look at her snuggled up on the cushions and then shrugged off his jacket, tossing it over the back of one chair almost aggressively.

“So what’s how it’s going to be, is it?” he asked as he tugged on his tie, loosening the knot and slipping it over his head.

Sara watched him, her eyes widening as he started to unbutton his shirt. “How what’s going to be?” she asked breathlessly.

“You’re so worried about me jumping you that you’re sleeping on the couch.” Reyes glowered at the offending piece of furniture as though he hated the sight of it, then his eyes slid up to her and his gaze softened. “You’re perfectly safe, you know. You don’t have to sleep there.”

She swallowed as he finished unbuttoning his shirt and shrugged it off, apparently forgetting all about her shirtless rule. Sara was about to tell Reyes that she was fine on the couch, that she preferred sleeping there actually. But the moment he peeled his shirt off and revealed all that bronzed skin and muscled flesh, her mouth ran dry and her thoughts vanished.

“I, um, I … “ she stammered, her eyes feasting on the sight of him.

Reyes crossed his arms over his chest, watching her, and one corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk. “Or maybe I'm not the problem after all? At least … not in that way.”

Sara almost gasped at his perceptiveness, but she managed to swallow back the sound. Instead she pulled the blanket up to her chin and tore her eyes away from his chest, focusing with difficulty on his face.

“I don’t know what you mean,” she snapped, her cheeks warm under his knowing gaze. “I just want to get a good night's sleep. That’s all.” She rolled over without another remark and closed her eyes, determined to ignore Reyes for the rest of the night, but aside from chuckling slightly, he said nothing more as he walked to the bathroom.

A few minutes later she heard him re-enter the room. He switched the lights off, and Sara heard the rustle of sheets and the creak of the bed, and then there was silence. She opened her eyes to find the room in darkness.

“Good night, Sara,” Reyes voice floated through the room; he sounded smug, _pleased_ , as though happy at her reaction to him taking off his shirt; which he probably was.

She rolled over, determined to show him she wasn’t uncomfortable. “Sweet dreams, _Reyes_.”

He chuckled softly, and the sound sent a wave of shivers through her body. Silence descended, and she lay there listening as he got comfortable, every rustle of the sheet reminded her that he was laying a few feet away, and the image of him without his shirt danced through her mind. Sara bit her lip and ran a hand down her face, punching her pillow and adjusting her position as her treacherous body reacted.

The minutes ticked on, until it felt like an eternity had passed and she still didn't feel any closer to sleep.  In fact, she felt decidedly hot and bothered thanks to Reyes. How on earth was he managing to rest so comfortably on the bed after they had finally admitted over dinner that there was something between them? How was he ignoring the tension in the air?

She shifted position again, sighing and clutching her pillow tighter as a wave of longing swept through her. It would be so easy to ask Reyes if she could sleep in the bed besides him again. So easy. She was sure he wouldn’t say no. Not after the way he had watched her earlier, with that look in his eyes … .

“It’s no good.” Reyes voice broke the silence without warning, and Sara swallowed as she heard him toss back the covers on the bed and get to his feet.

“W-what’s no good?” Se stammered, sitting up.

He turned in her direction. “Us. _This_.” She saw him gesture at the couch and bed. “This … sleeping arrangement. I can’t sleep with you there.”

“And?” Sara tightened her hold on the blankets, her heart beginning to pound, though from fear or anticipation she wasn’t sure. “We can’t exactly demand another room! So what are you-”

“I think you know what I’m saying since you said it last night,” Reyes interrupted smoothly, a hint of amusement in his voice as it slid around her like silk in the dark. “We shared a bed last night and nothing happened, so why not tonight? We’re both adults. If this is about what happened at dinner, about me leaving so suddenly-”

Her eyes had adjusted enough to the darkness enough that she could see him in the gloom, his shape visible as he moved purposefully to the couch, and she scrambled to her feet as he drew near. “Look, I don’t need to know why you stormed off after dinner, but I’m not the one who almost kissed his secretary this morning, and that’s the issue!”

She knew she had gone to far when Reyes froze. He said nothing for the space of a heartbeat. Then he let out a slow breath and drew himself up to his full height.

“No, you’re not, but you sure as hell didn’t try to stop me, and given how much hell I’m getting for it, I damned well wish I _had_ kissed you. At least then I wouldn’t have spent all day thinking about it.”

Sara gasped. “What!?”

Through the shadows she saw Reyes’ grimace. “I’ve done it now, haven’t I?” he drawled. “Ruined my nice guy image?”

Sara’s heart was still hammering in her chest, and yet … perversely, she found the idea of Reyes wanting to kiss her, _regretting_ his decision not to kiss her, exciting.  She swallowed again, casting around desperately for her voice as she tried to sound nonchalant, as though she found herself in this situation all the time.

“You’re hardly the first man to imagine kissing someone,” she managed to force out, then added quickly, “Or the first woman.”

Reyes’ head shot up at this and he took another step closer, suddenly looking like a wolf on the prowl.

“ _Sara_ ,” his voice was soft, and she shivered as the tone played along her spine like fingers. He was directly in front of her now, within touching distance, and this close up she could make out his features even in the dark. “Come to bed.”

 _Just reach out and touch him_ , the voice encouraged. _You know you want to, and you know he wants you to ..._

“Reyes, I shouldn’t. Last night and this morning, things were,” she hesitated. “They were confusing. I … I don’t want to be hurt. Not after William.”

She almost cringed at the vulnerability in her voice, but Reyes didn’t. He reached for her, his hand hesitating inches from her waist before he drew back, as though thinking better of touching her.

His eyes bored into hers. “I'd never hurt you.”

“Reyes …” Sara swallowed the rest of her words.

She wanted to beg him to touch her, to take her back to bed. And yet … what if she got hurt?

He brushed his hand against her cheek. _“I'm not William.”_

The atmosphere between them sizzled, tensed, as though that _something_ between them was balanced on a knife edge and threatening to slip out of control. Sara felt an almost physical pull towards Reyes. To go to him. To have him take her in his arms again and kiss her, hold her, to make her _his._

“It’s not you I don’t trust, Reyes,” she whispered back in the silence of the room. “It’s me.”

He reached out again, and this time his fingers did brush against the curve of her waist and over her hip. Softly. _Gently_. Sara shivered as pleasurable tingles shot through her body.

“Then _trust me_.”

She drew in a slow breath and reached for Reyes’ hand. “I must be mad,” Sara said softly. “I don’t do one night stands.”

He smiled, a blaze of triumph in the darkness. “Lucky for us we have at least two nights.”

“ _Yes_ ,” Sara agreed, stepping forward and reaching for him. Reyes muttered something she didn’t quite catch as he closed the gap between them. His arms wrapped tightly about her, just as strong and warm as she remembered as his mouth found hers in a passionate kiss.

This time there was no pretense. No act for William’s benefit. Only need, desire and passion.

Sara melted against his body and wound her arms around his neck, a feeling of relief, of rain falling in the desert after a drought, sweeping through her as she kissed him back hungrily, urgently. A driving need beating through her body for more more more.

There was no thought, no hesitation, no room for anything other than the burning desire coursing through her veins. It was all consuming and demanded to be fed. Reyes’ hands slid down her body, exploring her curves, and this time, unlike their first kiss, there was nothing chaste about it. He hoisted her into his arms and Sara, unwilling to break contact with his mouth for even a moment, wrapped her legs around his waist as he carried her to the bed.

Reyes chuckled against her lips as they reached their target and fell upon it in a tangled heap, bouncing lightly. She tightened her grip on him, flexing her fingers against the warm skin of his chest and enjoying the feel of him between her legs.

“You’re like a monkey,” he murmured against her lips, “clinging so tightly.”

“That’s not a very flattering thing to tell a girl, Reyes,” Sara muttered back in between kisses, her enthusiasm not dampened in the least.

He grinned, and she saw his eyes glimmer in the dark as he pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it into a shadowed corner of the room. “There are worse things to call someone who clings. At least I didn’t call you a leech.” He kissed her neck, his tongue flicking into the hollow of her throat. “Or an octopus.” He licked along her collar bones. “Or a-”

“ _Shut up_ , Reyes!”

She felt his chest shaking with silent laughter against hers. “Yes, boss.”

Sara swatted him. “I thought you said you were a gentleman?”

He smirked and his hands slid down to clasp her hips and pull her into a much more intimate contact with him, his erection thick and hard through the barrier of their clothing. “Oh, I’m every bit the gentlemen when I want to be, but right now I want to do some very _ungentlemanly_ things to you, Miss Ryder.”

There was no time to talk after that, no time to think either, as Reyes’ mouth found hers again and he kissed her senseless. Their clothes vanished in a whirlwind of passion, and they undressed each other with hands that trembled with the strength of their need. When they were done, he kissed a blazing trail down her neck and between her breasts, sucking on each of the rosy tips in turn and cupping her breasts reverently.

Sara felt as though someone had set her on fire. She burned and ached right down to her very core. When Reyes settled himself between her legs, his wicked wolf eyes gleaming up at her from between her thighs, she thought she would combust.

He licked and nipped and sucked, and pleasure crashed through her in waves. Every time he touched her, stroked her, caressed and nuzzled her, it felt as though Reyes was worshiping her as no man had ever done before. He sent her spinning off into the depths of ecstasy with only his mouth and his hands, and then, when she was still panting and recovering from that, he kissed his way back up her body and moved between her legs.

His erection pressed against her belly as Reyes kissed her hungrily, swirling his tongue around hers. Sara shivered at the thought of having him inside of her soon. He didn’t seem to be in any hurry though, and Reyes framed her face in his hands, running his hands through her hair and gazing down at her.

“God, you’re perfect,” he said roughly, his accent more pronounced in his state of arousal. “You have no idea how badly I’ve wanted this. Wanted _you_. ”

 

Reyes’ words swept through her in a warm wave, and Sara didn’t doubt his sincerity as his eyes found hers. Raw emotion burned in his gaze as he looked down at her. Sara’s eyes prickled with the depth of what she was seeing, what she was feeling, and she stroked a hand down his body, tracing his muscles and lightly trailing a hand along his throbbing length.

“Reyes,” she murmured his name softly, trying to find the words for what she was feeling and failing miserably.

He closed his eyes at her touch and shuddered, then took himself in hand and positioned himself at her entrance. Reyes pushed inside of her slowly, groaning with pleasure as he sank into her warmth. Sara wriggled, arching her hips upwards to encourage him to move faster, but he ignored her whimpers and drove into her slowly, carefully, until he was sheathed fully inside of her.

It felt perfect. Better than chocolate. Better than her favourite champagne. Better than she had ever imagined. Sara moaned in pleasure, arching towards him as he began to move again. He kissed her, deep and slow, and in that kiss Sara felt something _more_. More than lust. More than she expected, though she still couldn’t put name to the emotion blazing between them, it warmed her heart to feel such a deep connection.

They moved together in perfect sync, slowly at first, and then faster as the flames within them took hold, burning brighter and brighter. The desire white hot in intensity. Sara panted as Reyes thrust into her harder and deeper, pleasure spreading through her body in a hot, warm flood. A delicious honeyed tension tightening within her belly.

The climax, when it came, was like fireworks; explosive, colourful, and dazzling. Sara clung to Reyes as she trembled, her body shuddering as pleasure rushed through her in waves. He followed soon afterwards, her name on his lips as he buried himself inside her with on last shuddering thrust.

They lay together in tangled, sweaty satisfaction afterwards, Sara with her head on Reyes chest, much as she had woken up that morning, and Reyes lazily tracing patterns along her back with one hand.

“That was amazing,” Sara mumbled sleepily, and she tightened her arms around Reyes.

He hugged her back. “It was,” he agreed, his voice fuzzy with pleasure. “We’re good together.”

They _were_ good together, Sara thought, and then another, less pleasant thought occurred to her, and she opened her eyes and half-sat up.

“Reyes,” she started to say. “Is this going to change-”

He kissed her into silence before she could finish and pulled her back into his arms. “Don't think about it. Don’t think about work or next week or any of that. Just enjoy the moment.”

Sleepily, she nodded. Then closed her eyes and drifted off, content to let him hold her as she enjoyed the moment.

They made love twice more during the night, each time Sara woke up to feel Reyes’ hands roving over her body, and his lips nuzzling her neck. She was helpless to resist his advances; didn’t want to resist them. Indeed, the sleepy desire that pulsed through her as they made love in the dark, their breath mingling, their bodies entwined, had its own kind of addictiveness, and she wallowed in the pleasure as he brought her over and over.

She wasn’t awake to feel Reyes gently push a lock of hair off of her forehead and drop a gentle kiss onto her brow, or see the shadow that passed through his eyes as they fell upon the bottle of whiskey still sitting unopened on the hotel table.

* * *

 

_A/N - Heeeee - they finally got together, and daaaaamn it seems like they had a very intense time! Will things be smooth sailing? Will there be heartache on the future? I'd love to know what you think, and please remember to thank Kit for the beautiful art! ^_^_


	7. Chapter 7

_ A/N - Apologies on not replying to comments for the last chapter - I promise I read them all and I plan to reply asap. I just unfortunately discovered that my email had been hacked, and then realised that my Origin and a bunch of other online gaming accounts had been hacked. So I've spent the week trying to gain access to my accounts. Thank you once again to everyone who is reading along and, as always, to the people who leave me comments and feedback - it really does mean the world to me! Enjoy the morning after chapter! _

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Sara slept late the next morning, and was curled around her pillow sleeping peacefully until Reyes woke her; trailing his hands down her spine and along the curve of her hip. He was sprawled beside her on the bed, watching her with a look of deep satisfaction on his face, completely unabashed at his nakedness. Not that Sara minded the view, and she snuck a peek as she stretched, smiling sleepily and burying her face into the pillow to hide her stupid grin.

_ They’d finally done it. _

“Morning,” she mumbled and peered up at him.

Reyes grinned back as he lay beside her. “Morning.” He tugged her into his arms. “You’re not getting shy on me, are you?”

“Bit late for being shy,” Sara said dryly and snuggled against him. His hair was damp, and she realised he must have been up for a while and already showered.  She started to pull away. “What time is it?”

He shrugged, apparently very unconcerned about anything except kissing her at this exact moment, and Sara laughed as he pinned her to the bed and proceeded to do exactly that. She wiggled as he kissed a trail up her neck and her long her jawbone before finally claiming her mouth.

When he drew back he seemed delighted with her response to him. “This is  _ definitely  _ better way to start the day than yesterday. I like seeing you smile and giving you kisses a lot more than having you scuttle off to the bathroom looking terrified of me.”

Sara laughed, agreeing whole heartedly. “Yes, but if you’d done  _ that  _ yesterday, I might have slapped you.”

“ _ Might?” _ Reyes raised his eyebrows. “I guess I should have tried my luck sooner.” He dodged the pillow she flung at him, and bounded out of bed. “I should get dressed. The bathroom’s yours if you want it.”

She groaned and sat up stretching. “You should have woken me when you got up.”

“No chance.” He leaned down and dropped a kiss on the top of her head, and Sara caught a whiff of his cologne. “You looked far too adorable when you were asleep. Plus,” Reyes smirked. “I figured I might have worn you out.”

“You? Wear me out?” Sara rolled her eyes and shoved him away. “In your dreams.”

His smile widened slightly. “That’s surprisingly accurate.” 

Sara pondered that statement for a second; did he mean that? Did that mean Reyes had been interested in her for a while? She shrugged and put it out of her mind. 

He watched her cross the room to the bathroom. “I’ll meet you downstairs and order breakfast. That okay with you?”

She nodded. “Sounds good.”

As soon as Sara closed the bathroom door she let out a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding. As easy and relaxed as things seemed between her and Reyes, a tiny pulse in the back of her head kept drumming out the words “ _ he’s your boss! _ ” over and over again. Yet, she couldn’t bring herself to regret the night they’d spent together.

He’d been so affectionate this morning. So funny. So sweet.

As she showered, a warm glow fluttered through her belly at the thought of the way he’d touched her, held her, at the sweet things he’d said, and Sara forced herself to relax. No matter what happened, Reyes wouldn’t make things awkward or hard for her, she knew that right down to her bones. He was a good guy, and making things awkward at work wasn’t something he would want to do.

But would he want to continue their affair?

Sara switched off the shower and dried herself. She couldn’t deny that after last night, she was keen to spend more time with him, to see if the playful spark between them might not grow into something more. Though she was less excited about the awkward conversation that was bound to happen when she brought it up. And even less excited at the thought of how she would feel if Reyes said he didn’t want to see her again.

_ You’ll really feel like a big loser if that happens _ , the voice in the back of her head piped up unhelpfully.  _ First William, then Reyes… _

She ignored the negative thoughts and focused on dressing, drying her hair and applying her makeup, then hurried downstairs to breakfast. Her good mood was dampened however, by the appearance of William in the lobby. He was lurking just outside the breakfast room, casting furtive glances around as though looking for someone.

“Sara!” He caught sight of her before she could make herself scarce, and waved her over.

She hesitated for a moment, not wanting to open up old wounds again, but this time seeing William didn’t cause the same cascade of pain and anger that it had last time. It was as though her night with Reyes had given her an invisible shield against him, so with a deep breath, she turned in his direction.

“What is it?” Sara asked in as neutral tone as possible, not wanting to prolong the discussion.

He shuffled, dark eyes brooding, then flashed her a boyish smile that she once would have found charming. “I wanted to say sorry.” He paused and tentatively moved closer. “For Yesterday, I mean.” Sara said nothing, and William rushed on. “What I said to you? I behaved like a real ass.”

“You did,” she agreed, and folded her arms; wanting him gone. “But you’ve been acting that way for months now, so I’m used to it.”

William flushed with anger, but to her surprise he kept his temper in check and just nodded. “I know, and … I’m sorry. For all of it. For what I said when it ended, and how it ended.” He gave her a sad little smile. “I do miss you, you know. You’re one of a kind.”

Sara wondered if he’d had a fight with his girlfriend and that was why he was lurking down here, looking for someone who might give him sympathy. Either way, she wasn’t interested in his apology, and she wasn’t buying what he was selling.

“Look,” she grimaced and stepped away from him. “I appreciate the apology, but I have to go. Reyes is waiting, and we have a big day ahead of us.”

“Right. A big day.” William’s eyes had narrowed at the mention of Reyes, but he said nothing as she left him in the lobby, his boyish smile frosted icily on his lips.

His gaze followed her through the breakfast room; burning twin holes in her back. Hurriedly, she looked for Reyes, wanting to get as far from her ex as she could. The encounter with William had left her shaken, not because he made her feel uncomfortable, because she didn’t feel  _ anything  _ for him at all, not even anger.

It was hard to imagine she had ever loved him.

She found Reyes sitting at the usual table in the breakfast room with coffee and an array of breakfast foods. He smiled as he saw her approach, his wolfish eyes flashing a welcome almost as bright as his smile. Despite her earlier concerns, Sara couldn’t help but think that he didn’t look like a man who wanted to end their affair; he looked excited to see her.

Sara returned his smile and sat down, seizing a croissant as he offered it to her and inhaling the delicious scent. “Thank you for ordering, this is exactly what i needed.”

“I’m not surprised,” he murmured huskily, and he reached out and brushed some crumb from her lip. “Though I hope not all of your appetites have been sated.”

She blinked in surprise and heat rushed to her cheeks as he winked at her.

Reyes grinned and leaned back again. “Was that too much? Should I have led into it a bit more? I had this whole speech worked out about work-life balance and how we could combine them both in the best possible way, but I can’t seem to help but say things to make you blush.”

Sara took a sip of coffee to hide her surprise. “So I take it last night wasn’t a one night thing? I know you said two nights-”

“ _ At leas _ t two nights.” Reyes corrected her gently, looking far too casual as he broke off a bit of her croissant for himself. “If you want to, of course.”

_ At least two nights. _

Those four little words were so innocent and innocuous, but Sara instantly felt ridiculously happy, as though she could have walked on water or fought a dragon and won. She pushed down the happy bubbles of excitement for a second and tried to be logical as her sensible self swam back to the surface.

“But … what about work?” she asked, her eyes finding his. “You don’t think things will get weird?”

“Why would they?” He shrugged and took a sip of coffee. “We’re adults. I think we can handle sex outside of the workplace without complicating things too much. At work we’ll have our roles, and I’ll your boss, but outside of work that goes away. I know plenty of couples who run companies together and they manage fine.”

_ But we’re not a couple. _

It was on the tip of her tongue to say that sleeping together, and possibly one day facing the complication of breaking up, wasn’t the same thing as being a couple, when a shadow loomed over them.

“Well, well, well.” William glowered down at them. “Now I understand  _ everything _ .”

Sara jerked in surprise, her stomach plummeting, and hot coffee spilled out of the mug and across her hand. Cursing, she grabbed napkins to mop it up, her skin turning an bright shade of red where it had been burned. William ignored the burn and continued to glare down at them, his boyish smile was long gone.

Now his expression was ugly.

“So, you’re her  _ boss _ ? Makes sense,” he sneered. “Sara always lived for work. I guess now I understand why I always took second place in her life.”

“Wiliam!” Sara got ot her feet, looking around anxiously as several nearby diners stopped eating to watch. She spotted Kian sitting at a nearby table, watching the situation with interest. “Not here! Not in public! You should find your girlfriend and-”

Angrily, he pulled away from the hand she put on his arm and focused on Reyes. “No, I want to know how long you two were going at it before I broke up with you.” Jealousy rolled off him in waves, and he jabbed a finger in Reyes direction. “It was always Mr Vidal  _ this _ , and Mr Vidal  _ that _ . I should have known you were screwing your boss-”

Whatever he was going to say was cut off as Reyes vaulted to his feet and William was forced to backup a step to avoid a collision. 

“I’d stop talking about Sara that way if I were you,” Reyes said quietly, in an undertone that rippled with authority, “She’s one of the most honest people I know. Sleeping around isn’t in her nature, just as loyalty apparently isn’t in yours since not only did you cheat on Sara, but now you’re over here bothering us instead of staying with your new girlfriend.”

William looked floored and he backed up another step, his mouth flapping like a fish gasping for air. He looked at the people watching them and tried to gathering himself. “Now  _ you  _ listen here-”

“No, you listen. Sara doesn’t need you. Stay away from her.” Reyes eyes flashed dangerously and he took a step toward William. “Are we clear?”

“You can’t tell me what to-”

Sara caught William’s gaze and shook her head as Reyes bristled beside her. “Will, just go.”

Maybe it was the use of his nickname, or the soft tone that did it, but William looked at her and seemed to crumple. “I...I just wanted to say sorry, Sara-bear. I didn’t mean to cause trouble-”

Reyes let out an impatient sound and made as though to step towards him, and William bit off whatever he was going to say and hastily backed up another step. Sara almost felt sorry for him as he looked around nervously at the people watching them, and then scuttled away with his dignity hanging in shreds.

_ Almost. _

Then she remembered the way he’d happily thrown his new girlfriend in her face, and the way he’d called her boring, frumpy and plain, and she had to resist throwing the last of her croissant at him. 

Reyes dropped back into his seat looking murderous. “I should have hit him for saying that about you.”

“No you shouldn’t.” She took her seat, trying to ignore the people around then who were still whispering. “Then he would have had another reason to bother us. Anyway, he’s probably heading home today.”

“Good.” Reyes stabbed his breakfast with a fork, spearing some bacon with far more force than was necessary. He was still staring after her ex as though tempted to go after him, and she heard him mutter the words  _ ‘Sara-bear’ _ under his breath.

_ Jealous _ , she realised. Reyes was actually  _ jealous _ .

Sara sipped her coffee and smiled. “You know, you were pretty sexy when you stood up to William for me.”

He blinked and focused on her, a slow smile creeping over his face. “I was, huh?” He looked thoughtful for a moment.” You know, this is our last night here before we leave. We could do something special?”

“What do you have in mind?”

Reyes winked. “How about a surprise? Leave it with me.”

Sara grinned and placed her briefcase meaningfully onto the table. “I’ll look forward to it. But right now we have a meeting to get to. Unless you’re not longer concerned about this contract?”

He groaned quietly leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. “That’s my girl; always keeping me focused.”

She rolled her eyes playfully and accompanied Reyes to the meeting. 

The final day of negotiations went well, and by the end of the day the owner of the resort had signed a lucrative important contract with Collective Imports. Sara could tell Reyes was pleased, and he led the way back to their room with a bounce in his step, radiating energy. He slipped an arm around her waist in the elevator, his hand lingering on her hip, and his gaze when she met it was so hot it almost sizzled.

Sara’s heart skipped a beat; he looked like the Big Bad Wolf about to gobble up Little Red Riding Hood.

He managed to behave himself throughout dinner, though the anticipation of her  _ surprise _ almost made the tension unbearable. Every look he flashed her way made her melt a little more, and Sara couldn’t help but think of the way he’d touched her the night before, of the way he would touch her again tonight. She was so aroused by the time dinner arrived that she barely even tasted her food.

“I thought we could take a walk,” Reyes said when they finished, his wicked wolf eyes gleaming as he followed her from the restaurant. “There’s this place I know down by the beach that looks beautiful when the moon is full like tonight.”

Sara raised her eyebrows. “A moonlight stroll along the beach? That sounds very romantic, and I thought you were just trying to get me into bed again.”

He chuckled and stepped up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck. “Oh, I’m a very romantic man when I’m with the right woman. Though I’m still intending to get you into bed too.” She melted into his embrace as he pressed a kiss behind her ear. “So what do you say? You, me, the moonlight, and a bottle of wine?”

His voice slipped over her skin, soft as velvet, and she shivered with pleasure. “I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.”

She felt his lips curve into a smile against her skin, and his arms tightened around her, then he stepped away, his eyes blazing with heat. Reyes excused himself to get the wine, and Sara watched him go with the awful suspicion that she was a drowning woman and Reyes was a deep dark pool of water that sooner or later was going to be the death of her. Falling for someone this quickly, this hard, could only spell trouble for her.

_ No _ , she shook her head vehemently and plastered a smile on her face as he returned,  _ Reyes won’t hurt me like William did. I’m sure of it. _

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_ A/N - Yeah. Everything will be great. Reyes likes Sara, Sara likes Reyes. I'm sure they're heading for a perfect happy ending! Yay ... ;) I  _ _ hope you enjoyed the chapter, and as always I'd love to know what you think! :) Fair warning that the next chapter contains ... smut. Yep. You know it. _


	8. Chapter 8

_ A/N - I'm a little sick at the moment with the flu, which is why this chapter is late. Hopefully you'll enjoy it and the lateness will be more than worth it. As always, a huge thank you to the amazing people who are reading my fic, and especially to the wonderful people who have left me reviews.   _

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“So, what was it like?” Sara asked Reyes as they strolled along the beach barefoot, her high heels dangling from one hand. “Growing up in paradise?”

She gestured at the waves crashing rhythmically onto the shore. It was beautiful, and they both paused to watch the ocean reach fingers of foam up the moon-bathed shore towards them. 

“Lonely, I suppose,” Reyes mused, and Sara glanced at him in surprise. “There weren’t many other kids on the island, and my parents both worked two jobs to pay the rent,” he elaborated with a shrug. “I had a lot of time to myself.”

“When you said you were from Kadara, I thought-”

“That my family was rich?” He sounded amused, and Sara flushed. “No. Both of my parents worked for the resort.” He gave another little shrug as though it was unimportant. “I was left to my own devices most of the time.”

Sara smiled and poked him in the ribs. “And I bet young Reyes took himself on lots of adventures?”

He grinned back. “ _ Of course _ . I was a brave explorer and Kadara was my desert island to conquer.” The smile faded slightly as he looked around. “As I got older and more tourists started coming here, I saw my home for what it was; a beautiful place that only the rich enjoyed. I wanted something else for myself other than living day to day as my parents did. I wanted…” he drifted off and then gave himself a small shake, his eyes finding hers. “I wanted to be somebody; to live my own life.”

“So you left?” Sara tried to imagine a teenage Reyes naively leaving home to make his own way in the world … and failed. He had already been a successful business man when she’d gone to work for him, and other than knowing that he’d built his empire on importing luxury goods, she didn’t know much about his past.

He nodded. “I went to university on a scholarship and got a business degree as soon as I finished school, then went into business with Kian and some others. It was a tough time. I did things to get ahead which cost me a lot of my friends.” Reyes looked uncomfortable. “I fired friends to cut costs, I did backroom deals to ensure I got contracts … I was cut throat. I'm not proud of some of the decisions I made to put business ahead of friendship, but I've tried to change for the better. I’ve tried to leave my past behind me. Including,” he swallowed, his eyes finding hers as he took a deep breath. “Including Kian. We were close once, but haven’t been for a long time.”

Sara stared at Reyes for a heartbeat, not wanting to misunderstand what he was trying to tell her. 

“You and Kian were … together? Like a couple?” She asked cautiously, not entirely surprised. She'd seen Reyes take out enough good looking men and women to have suspected he played for both teams, so to say. 

“Yes, but things ended …  _ badly _ ,” Reyes hesitated on the last word, his hand squeezing hers as though terrified she would turn and run at his coming admission. “I was in a bad place at the time; my parents died, the business was under a lot of pressure and wasn’t doing well, and Kian and I were a mess. I drank to keep myself together … though in retrospect the drinking, and the white lies I fed him is what made it all come apart. Kian got sick of it eventually and left.” He took a deep breath, his expressive eyes guarded. “That whiskey he gave you? It's his way of reminding me who and what I used to be.” 

“Oh, Reyes!”

Sara turned and pulled Reyes into her arms, holding him tight and going up on tiptoes. She rested her face in the crook of his neck, breathing in the warm familiar scent of him. She couldn't imagine Reyes as the person he was describing any more than she could imagine the lonely boy on the island, but they were both a part of his past.

She drew back and gave him a warm and reassuring kiss. “I’m sorry he dredged all that up as some kind of … joke. But if it makes you feel any better, you seem to be doing pretty good these days; I don't see much similarity between the man you're describing and yourself.” For a moment she paused, debating if she should ask the question burning in her mind. But her curiosity got the better of her. “So, Kian  _ wasn’t  _ the person you talked about the other night? The person you fell in love with? That  _ was  _ someone else?”

Reyes abruptly grinned. “Kian was a lot of things to me, including a lover, but I don’t think we ever really  _ loved _ each other. Not really. The woman I fell in love with came into my life later.” His voice rippled with laughter. “She made me forget all about Kian. I’m not sure he appreciated it, actually.”

_ The woman I fell in love with. _

The words, said so casually, stung, and Sara cleared her throat and stepped away from Reyes, instantly wishing she hadn’t brought it up. “Well, that’s … lovely.” She tugged her hand out of his. “Maybe we should keep walking...”

He blinked in surprise, the smile sliding off his face as he hurried after her. “Sara, wait. The woman I fell in love with-”

“I don’t want to hear about little miss perfect, Reyes.” She almost flinched at the undercurrent of jealousy in her voice, and hated herself for it, but she hated the thought of Reyes still being in love with this woman more, and she hastily changed the subject. “Kian hinted that some of your business dealings may have been a little shady in the past. Did he mean you broke the law?”

For a long moment Reyes seemed like he was struggling internally with something, and his eyes locked intently with hers. Sara wondered if she’d delved too deeply in her quest to change the subject. But after a moment he let out a long sigh, one that sounded incredibly frustrated, and shook his head.

“Foot meet mouth,” she heard him mutter, then he cleared his throat.  “No, I never broke the law. I pushed the line a lot, but I never crossed it. You know me,” he reached for her hand again, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight. This time Sara let him take it. “When I see something I want I work hard to get it. Cheating and stealing have never worked for me.”

Which was one of the reasons she liked Reyes so much, Sara admitted to herself and she smiled.

“I’m glad you told me about your childhood, and about Kian and the whiskey.” She wrinkled her nose. “I do have one question, what made you change your ways? Was it just the breakup?”

Reyes quirked one side of his mouth. “I guess you could say I had a couple of reality checks hit me all of once when my parents died and Kian left. Good thing too. I poured everything I had into Collective Imports, I eventually mended fences with Kian enough for us to be civil with each other, and…” his voice trailed off and he gestured around him. “Now here I am.”

“Here you are,” Sara echoed. “Back where you started but with everything you wanted.” She made a face. “Well, I don’t imagine hooking up with your secretary was part of you plan-”

Reyes let out a frustrated sigh and, without warning, he pulled her into his arms, kissing her with such passion it was almost ferocious. When he drew back there was something wild in his eyes that she couldn’t place.

“You are not  _ just  _ a secretary to me,” he said with quiet force. “Don’t you know that yet?”

_ Was she? _

She blinked up at him, words eluding her as her heart hammered so hard in her chest she could barely breathe. Reyes looked down at her for a long moment, his face intense, then he sighed and tightened his arms around her, resting his chin on her head and holding her close.

“Come on,” he said as he stepped back. “We’re almost there.”

Sara nodded and followed him, her heartbeat returning to normal. “Almost  _ where _ ?”

“You’ll see.”

Reyes led her further down the beach to a sheer cliff face. For a moment, she wondered if he meant to make her climb it, then he led her closer to the water. Sara hung back reluctantly, her eyes widening at the jagged rocks he was leading her towards.

“Whoa, where exactly are you taking me?”

He twined his fingers around hers reassuringly. “Come on. You trust me, don’t you?”

Sara nodded and squeezed his hand, then followed him towards the rocks. They gleamed like slimy black teeth in the dark, but he veered away at the last second, staying close to the cliff and vanishing into a fissure in the cliff face. It had been invisible from the direction they approached, but this close to the cliff, Sara could see it clearly. Reyes squeezed her hand again, and she followed him into the darkness.

For a moment the blackness was whole, complete, thick and heavy with the smell of salt and seaweed. Then her eyes adjusted, and she realised there was a faint glow. 

“It’s a cave!” she said with some surprise.

Reyes made a flourish and a sudden illumination lit the cave as he cracked a large glow stick which Sara recognised as those used by cave divers. 

“Technically,” he said with a certain amount of smugness, “it’s a grotto, and it’s one of the best kept secrets on Kadara. Only the locals know about it, and you can only access it at night when it’s low tide.”

Sara glanced around, awed by the beautiful pale rocks and the sparkling pool of blue water in the middle of the floor. “It’s beautiful!” she said truthfully and stepped closer to Reyes, a small knowing smile creeping over her mouth. “So what did teenage Reyes do in this cave?”

His smile was wicked and he bent his head, brushing his mouth over hers. “I went swimming and … used my imagination.” 

One hand crept to the small of her back, and he pulled her into more intimate contact with him, so she could feel his erection pressing against her through the fabric of his trousers. The very physical proof of his desire sent a thrill of anticipation coursing through her veins, and Sara let out a small sound as Reyes kissed her again, his embrace growing harder, more demanding.

Her head was spinning when he drew back, and she clung to him, dizzy with desire. His eyes gleamed and he looked pleased with whatever he saw in her face. With another one of those smiles that made her blood sizzle, he stepped closer to the pool of water and dropped the glow stick in with a soft splash.

Sara watched it sink to the bottom. “That’s called littering,” she told him.

“Well,” he reached for her waist and tugged her shirt out of the waistband of her skirt, undressing her with nimble fingers. “Then I guess we’d better go in and get it out.”

The water was pleasantly cool against their skin when they slipped in, naked, their bodies pale shadows against the greens and blues of the water. Sara squeaked when Reyes vanished beneath the surface and she felt a playful tug on her foot, and when he surfaced holding the glow stick and laughing she splashed him and retreated across the pool.

In all the years of working with Reyes, she’d never seen him so carefree and relaxed, his golden eyes dancing as he splashed her back and then chased her through the water. Of course she’d always known he was handsome, and yes she could admit that on some level she’d always been attracted to him, but she hadn’t realised he had this sense of fun within him, and that lightness attracted her all the more.

When he finally cornered her in the pool he pinned her between his arms, his skin slick with moisture as he moved in closer, his chest heaving slightly as he held his face a few inches from hers.

“Do I get a prize for catching you, mermaid?” he murmured huskily. “Or should release you back into the wild?”

Sara answered him with a kiss, and she wound her arms around his neck tightly. “I’m yours,” she whispered against his mouth. “For as long as you want me.”

“Sara…” Reyes kissed her hungrily and pressed her back against the wall of the pool. His hands trembled as they swept down her body, and he moved between her legs eagerly. A rush of heat and lust rushed through Sara as she felt him, hard and ready, pressing against her entrance.

“Please, Reyes!” she urged as he hesitated, desire thundering through her veins. “I need you.”

He made a soft sound at her words, something somewhere between a groan of pleasure and a contented sigh, then he began to press inside of her. Sara wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, encouraging him on with kisses as Reyes evidently gave up on his slowly-slowly approach and slipped inside of her with one quick thrust, hilting himself completely. Both of them groaned, and he pushed her back against the side of the pool more firmly, holding her there as he began to move with slow rocks of his hips.

“You do look like a mermaid you know,” he panted softly as he thrust inside of her, his hips rolling against hers. “With your hair all tangled and wet. You look gorgeous.”

“I suppose that’s what teenager Reyes used his imagination on? Mermaids?” Sara teased, raking her nails along his shoulders as pleasure began to build in waves.

He laughed, his eyes dancing in the glowing light. “Something like that,  _ Mi Sirena _ . Mermaids. Mermen. My imagination knows no bounds.”

Reyes rarely dropped into his mother tongue with her except when he was quietly cursing a deal that had gone wrong, and hearing it now, in such an intimate way, sent shivers down Sara’s spine. She liked the nickname, and she tightened her grip on him, hoping beyond hope that the moment wouldn’t end, that the feeling growing in her chest was something he felt too.

The warm rolling waves spread through her, and Sara clung to Reyes in the water as he brought her to climax, the delicious sensation of his body sliding inside of hers, filling her in a way no man had done before, overwhelmed all of her senses. She lost herself, and when she came to her senses again, Reyes was holding her in the water, the two of them floating gently in a silence that felt perfect and complete.

She didn’t want to move, to leave the pool of water or return to the hotel and the real world outside of the cave. Outside of the cave they would eventually become boss and secretary again and the reality of the situation would come crashing down on them; everything that Sara had avoided thinking about would have to be faced. No matter how perfect everything seemed, no matter how much Reyes seemed to care for her, or how wonderfully they clicked in bed, he was still her boss and she was  _ just  _ a secretary

… And she needed more than just snatched moments after work.

The truth of what she was feeling swelled and ached inside of her, and Sara swallowed hard, unable to deny the truth of what she was feeling any longer as she floated in his arms. 

Love.

She was in love with her boss.

Reyes was quiet as they pulled themselves out of the water and dressed, their clothes sticking to their bodies. She caught him looking at her, his eyes contemplative and dark. When she made to leave he caught her hands and swung her around into his arms, engulfing her in a hug and pressing his forehead to hers. He pulled back after a moment and drew in a deep breath, seeming to gather his nerve to spit something out. 

“This thing between us,” he spoke haltingly and then stopped as though unsure what to say. 

Sara felt her stomach fall to her feet.  _ Did he know how she felt about him? Had he seen it in her eyes or guessed somehow?  _

He continued, “I want more of this. I want more time with you; proper time. Not just sleeping together.” The words tumbled out of Reyes’ mouth so fast that for a moment she wasn’t sure she had heard them correctly. She blinked at him. He flushed, and continued hurriedly. “I know I’m your boss and it might be awkward at work, but as I said today, I know other couples who work together, and they manage to make things … work. I think we could. I think we have something.” He looked incredibly attractive as he spoke, his dark hair mussed from their love making. “What do you think?”

Sara smiled, and knew she gave her answer away before she even spoke because the tension melted from his face. “I want to try too,” she admitted and squeezed his hands. “I like being with you.” She gave him a tug towards the entrance. “Besides, we only have this last night left on the island, and that’s not nearly enough time left to explore all of the things  _ I’ve _ imagined.”

Reyes made a sound in the back of his throat and hurried after her. “That  _ you’ve _ imagined?” He sounded amused, and a little bit curious. “What exactly is it that you’ve been imagining, my little mermaid?”

Sara grinned and glance back at him. “Well, I have this fantasy that involves you, me and your desk…”

* * *

 

_ A/N - Aaaw! Reyes and Sara are so cute. See, everything is going just fine. Sure, Sara has a few misgivings, and Reyes seems to have some baggage he's lugging around with him, but I'm sure everything will be smooth sailing from here! Yessir. Smoooooth sailing ... *side eyes the next chapter and sweats* I hope you guys are enjoying the fic and that you loved this chapter; reviews and comments are always very loved. _


	9. Chapter 9

_ A/N - Thank you so so much to everyone who is reading this, and of course to everyone who left me a review on the last chapter - gosh you guys made me smile. And yes - I'm feeling much better! As for this chapter, well ... a lot of you knew it was coming. I hope you enjoy it as much as you're able. _

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Sara woke late the next morning, the twinkling rays of the sun peaking through the blinds, dazzling in its brightness, the first thing to greet her. Reyes’ hands and mouth moving over her body was the second.  _ It was _ , she reflected sleepily,  _ a very pleasant way to wake up.  _

Without the pressure of meetings or a long work day she and Reyes spent the morning together in bed, enjoying their newfound freedom to be together as more than simply boss and secretary. He ordered them room service, grinning at her as he placed an order for what seemed like a ridiculous amount of breakfast foods and a huge pot of coffee.

“Can’t have you wasting away on me,” he told her as he’d put the phone down, and promptly flashed a purposeful smile that made her blood fizz in her veins. “Not when I finally have you right where I want you.”

They’d made love twice while waiting for breakfast, once in bed and again in the shower as they’d cleaned up; Reyes bending her over and taking her slowly from behind while they were both still slippery and slick. Afterwards they dressed, packed their suitcases and ate breakfast on the dreaded couch - which Sara jokingly pointed out was finally being useful.

She found, as she relaxed and snacked on a fruit platter, that the thought of returning home to her empty apartment didn’t seem quite as bad anymore. Rather than seeming bleak and endless, the future stretched ahead of her full of possibility. Once which, for the time being at least, included her surprisingly affectionate boss.

“You look happy,” Reyes commented as he idly traced patterns on her thigh, his hazel eyes warm as he watched her eat. “Much better than a few days ago.”

Sara popped a grape in her mouth and grinned. “Probably because I  _ am  _ happy.”

“Good.” He slid his hand further up her leg and grinned wolfishly, then plucked the fruit from her hands and set it to the side. “You know, we have an hour until check out. Perhaps we could see how much happier I can make you?” He tugged her onto his lap and pressed kisses down her throat, his breath warm against her skin as he cupped her ass. “You’re already making  _ me  _ feel very happy indeed.”

She laughed and tugged him up for a kiss. “Hard to say no when you put it like that.”

“Hard indeed,  _ Mi Sirena _ .” 

Sara was in the process of unbuttoning her shirt when a knock sounded at the door and they both froze, a look of unhidden annoyance crossing Reyes’ face at the interruption.

“So much for an uninterrupted morning,” he muttered. “Maybe room service forgot something.” 

He dragged himself off the couch and helped Sara up, both of them straightening their clothes as he strode to the door and flung it open. There was a pause. A long, drawn out pause, during which Sara was sure she could have heard a pin drop, then Reyes let out a sigh and opened the door a little wider.

“Kian,” Reyes sounded deeply unhappy, but not entirely surprised, to see his friend. “What can I do for you?”

Sara looked up at his tone and saw Kian lounging in the doorway. He glanced over Reyes’ shoulder at her, his face wearing a polite smile as he aimed a nod in her direction, the briefest acknowledgement possible before he looked back at Reyes again.

“Sorry to interrupt your morning, but we need to talk.  _ In private _ .” Kian’s eyes drifted to Sara pointedly. “It's important, or I wouldn't ask.”

Reyes hesitated and then sighed. “I’ll give you five minutes, but that’s all. Just … give me a moment.” He closed the door without warning and turned back to Sara. “I’m sorry about this. If you want to I can tell him to-”

“No, it’s fine.” Sara forced a lightness into her tone which she didn’t feel. “You talk to your friend. I can go and check us out.”

Irritation at Kian welled up, and curiosity about what was going on, but she squashed it flat; he couldn’t known  _ what _ he was disturbing when he had knocked on the door. Besides which, it wasn’t as though they wouldn’t have other opportunities to make each other  _ happy _ in the coming days.

Reyes pulled her into his arms and kissed her softly, tenderly. “There goes our morning, huh?” He murmured as he drew back and ran his thumb across her lower lip. “You know, I want you more and more each time I kiss you. You’re like an addiction.”

Sara flushed. “It’s the same for me,” she admitted and then stepped back reluctantly. “I’ll wait for you in the lobby. Can you bring my bag down with you?” Reyes nodded and watched as she zipped up her suitcase and then collected the keycards, her handbag and her jacket. 

He opened the door and she saw him exchange a glance with Kian. Something passed between the two men, a look that wasn’t exactly unfriendly, but Sara thought Reyes gave the other man a warning look as she drew closer, as though he was worried Kian was going to say or do something that might upset her.

Was he worried Kian would bring up something from his past again?

“I’ll meet you downstairs,” Sara told him as she moved through the door. Reyes nodded and stroked a hand down her back. A small gesture, but one which she appreciated. 

Kian sauntered past her without a word and closed the door with a  _ snap _ . Sara was left feeling as though she had just been tossed out of a very exclusive nightclub. It took about five seconds to realise she was feeling jealous, and, not liking the ugly sensation, she hurried away before it could set in. 

She got as far as the main desk before she realised she had left her phone on the bedside table charging, and, with an annoyed sigh, turned to go back. It was Kian’s fault. She’d been so desperate to give the boys some space that she had rushed off without checking the room like she normally did. 

Sara sighed and retraced her steps without enthusiasm. She knocked softly at the door, wanting to give them some warning that she was coming in ... but got no response. Frowning, she slotted the keycard into the lock and opened the door, expecting to see the men engaged in conversation. Instead she was greeted by an empty room. The suitcases were still there, but both men had gone.

She stared for a moment, then quietly closed the door behind her, and retrieved her phone and charger.

“You’re telling me this is just a coincidence? That’s all?”

She froze as Kian’s voice reached her, and with a start she realised that they were out on the balcony. Sara started to walk towards them, to let them know she was there, when Kian spoke again and stopped her dead in her tracks.

“So have you told Sara the truth yet?”

She heard Reyes’ unmistakable sigh. “Some of it, but not … everything. Not  _ that _ . I wasn't sure now was the right time.  She's only just broken up with her boyfriend and-”

“That's my point. She's obviously on the rebound. You're seeing exactly what you want to see and telling her what she wants to hear. Jesus, Reyes, I thought you would have more common sense than this.  You know this won't end well for her or you.” There was a pause and Sara heard the clink of ice in a glass before Kian continued hesitantly. “I ... saw her ex making that scene yesterday over breakfast; he's still in love with her and you’re interfering, aren’t you?”

Reyes groaned. “He has nothing to do with this! Or with Sara and I. It's a business trip and this just … happened. That's all. You’re sticking your nose in where it’s not wanted.”

“Come on, Reyes. You must have been jumping for joy when her boyfriend ditched her. And then you somehow, completely by chance, suddenly needed her help on this trip?” Kian laughed, and it was a bitter sound. “Mate, you might have her fooled, but not me. I’m not buying it. I know you. You forget, it used to be me you chased after once upon a time, and I know what you’re like. It’s why I dumped you and why I kept things strictly business between us after that.”

A prickle of disquiet worked it’s way over Sara’s skin;  _ what did Kian mean when he said that Reyes had her fooled? _

“ _ We _ kept things professional because I’d fallen for someone else, don’t try to pretend otherwise.” Reyes sounded annoyed, and Sara flinched: he was talking about the woman he had fallen in love with, the one who hadn't loved him back. “This is different;  _ I’m different _ . And Sara is ... special.” 

The sound of his voice helped to ground Sara a little. She trusted Reyes, no matter what Kian was saying, she trusted Reyes.

The Irishman laughed. “ _ Different _ ? Don’t give me that rubbish. I know exactly what I’m talking about. I know her ex still has feelings for her, but you chased him away like a dog with a bone yesterday morning. I know you carted her off to this Island quick smart and probably had no idea he was here.” There was a pause, and she heard Kian scoff. “What happened to make you decide to take her away for the weekend? Did he call work looking for her so you decided to whisk her away and seduce her first?”

“Don't be stupid, Kian. He cheated on  _ her  _ and she threw him out. I just happened to need her help on this trip. That's all. It was a  _ coincidence _ .”

Sara swallowed. Maybe it was her imagination, but Reyes didn't sound entirely convincing, and she noticed that he neatly sidestepped the question with his answer. 

Apparently Kian noticed too, because he laughed. “Oh come on, Reyes. This is me you’re talking to;  _ I know you _ . Plus, you said you were going to do it. I’ve haven’t forgotten.”

A cold chill swept down Sara’s spine and she felt light headed. Dizzy, she put out a hand to steady herself. 

_ Reyes had said he was going to do what? _

“Kian, you know I didn’t-”

“You did!” He sounded frustrated. “You said you bet you could get her to sleep with you. That all you’d need to do was take her away with you on a business trip, seduce her and then you’d get her out of your system for good.” Kian snorted. “You sounded downright keen on the idea too, even if you were drunk out of your head on whiskey at the time.”

Reyes groaned. “I know I said that, but at the time I was-”

Whatever else he said was lost in the roaring sound that filled Sara's ears.  _ Reyes had planned this? He’d planned to seduce her all along? _

She clapped a hand to her mouth to hold in the moan of horror that threatened to slip out, and backed up so fast she hit the bench without realising it was there. Her shoulder caught something solid, and sent an ornate crystal vase filled with flowers toppling to the floor. It shattered with a crash that tore through the air like a gunshot and then silence, awful and deafening silence, fell like a bomb.

Reyes and Kian shot through the balcony door, all the colour in Reyes’ face draining away at the sight of her. Sara still had her phone clenched in one hand, and her fingers were curled around it so tightly that her knuckles had turned white. Her eyes skittered from Kian to Reyes, unsure who to focus on, only knowing that the two of them had been out there talking about her as though she meant nothing. 

As though she  _ were  _ nothing.

“Sara, that wasn't what it sounded like-” Reyes started towards her, a hand outstretched, and Sara backed away, stumbling clumsily over broken glass and crushing flowers in her haste to keep distance between them.

The thought of him touching her made her stomach turn.

“Don’t touch me!” The words burst from her in a violent rush, and something in Sara broke. She felt wounded. Exposed. “The two of you are vile; standing out there and saying those horrible things.”

It was as though someone had reached into her chest and crushed her heart, as though they were squeezing the life and breath out of her. Her vision swam with tears and she blinked them away viciously, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. 

Something passed over Reyes face, something like panic, and he shook his head urgently. “No, that’s not-”

“I heard it! I heard what you’d said to about me, and it’s… its … .” Sara wanted to scream, to hit Reyes or throw something at him. She wanted him to hurt like she was hurting. But somehow she kept the pain, the horrible bleeding, screaming agony of her broken heart inside of her. “You haven't changed at all, you just used me.”

She turned to go, and heard him start towards her. “No, Sara-”

“Let her go, mate. Better she drops you now then a few weeks down the track when she finds out the truth and realises she’s only with you on the rebound.” Kian’s voice, evidently in an attempt to soothe Reyes, grated along her nerves, and Sara whirled around in time to see Reyes glower at his friend.

“Get out, Kian. Just …  _ Just go _ .” 

The Irishman shrugged. “I’m just looking out for you.” He glanced over at Sara. “And whether you believe it or not, I’m looking out for you too.”

Sara doubted that. 

She wanted to hit him too. She wanted to cry. But mostly she wanted to curl up and vanish for ever having been stupid enough to fall for Reyes Vidal when he had been using her this whole time. She’d known he was a playboy that changed lovers in the same way that other men changed shirts, but she had thought  _ she _ was different.

_ Yeah right, _ she thought bitterly,  _ I’m just as stupid as everyone else who’s fallen for him. _

Reyes had used her. Not only that, but it seemed he’d been plotting this little seduction maneuver for some time. How had Kian put it? Reyes had  _ bet _ he could get her to sleep with him if he took her on a business trip. 

Well, clever Reyes had got his wish. 

Sara drew in a shuddering breath as she waited for Kian to leave, her body trembling with rage and humiliation. When the door closed behind him, she snatched up her handbag and grabbed her suitcase. Ferries left the island regularly, she’d catch one of them back to the mainland and make her own way home.

She couldn't stand the thought of being in close proximity with Reyes for another minute. Some horrible foolish part of her, the part that loved him, even wanted to listen to his excuses, to give him a chance to explain himself. She needed to leave before that happened.

“Sara,” Reyes was still watching her from the kitchen. “Please just listen; I swear to you, this isn’t what you think.”

_ Why was he bothering? _ She wondered miserably.  _ The game was up and he'd won.  _

“Really?” She whirled around to face him. “So what is it, Reyes? Because it sounded pretty clear to me. It sounded like you wanted to get me into bed and saw your chance. It sounded like you’d been talking to your friend about me and making bets about doing it. It sounded like you were trying to, how did you put it?” Sara felt the first tear escape her eye and trickle down her cheek, Reyes watched its progress with a stricken face. “Oh that’s right. You wanted to  _ get me out of your system _ .” 

“No, I swear-”

“So you didn’t say those things?” She clutched the handle of her suitcase tighter, a knot of tension growing tighter and tighter inside of her when he didn’t immediately answer. “Well?”

The silence stretched on, an incriminating silence, and she saw panic in his eyes as he finally spoke. “Sara, give me a chance to explain-”

Sara shook her head and cut him off. “Go to hell.”

She turned and left, slamming the door behind her. It opened a moment later, and she heard Reyes follow her out into the hall.

“Sara, wait dammit. I know it sounds bad, and you should be angry at what I said, but you have to let me explain. l-”

“No.” She turned and stalked up to him. “You  _ knew  _ I’d just been dumped and I was hurting, and you used  _ everything _ to your advantage to get me into bed. The trip, the hotel room, the dinners and the sleeping arrangements. But worst of all? You pretended to care about me, you pretended you wanted more.  _ You used me _ .” Sara felt her righteous fury start to crack as the pain swamped her again. “I’ve never had anyone make me feel as stupid and used as you have.”

She drew in a shuddering breath and, before she could stop herself, burst into tears. All the humiliation and pain spilling out in a torrent of sobs. She caught a flash of appalled horror on Reyes face, and something that looked like pain, then he tried to pull her into his arms.

“No. I didn’t pretend. Don't think it.  _ Please _ . Sara, you have to understand that-”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Sara wrenched herself out of his hold, tears still streaming down her face as her heart cracked and bled still more. Bitterly she stepped away from him, needing distance, needing to get away from the source of her agony. “You know what, Reyes? You told me on the first night we … we … .” She couldn't bring herself to say  _ ‘made love _ ’, and Sara shook her head instead. “You said you weren't William. Well you're right.  Your nothing like William. You're worse.” She drew in a deep breath. “And I quit.”

Reyes stared at her in shocked silence for a moment, his eyes widening slightly.

“Quit?” he repeated finally, his voice hoarse. “But you can’t. You can’t leave me.” Reyes looked grey in the face, and though he didn’t make any move to follow her as she took another step away, he drew in a harsh breath and half-raised his hand. “I'm not like  _ him _ .”

Sara shook her head. “After hearing what you said about me? Those things-”

“I didn’t mean it!” He burst in, and there was no mistaking the frantic edge to his voice. “Jesus Christ, Sara! Do you really think I brought you along on this trip to seduce you? To use you? Do I seem like that kind of man to you?”

For a fraction of a heart beat, she hesitated; Reyes  _ wasn’t _ that kind of a man and in the last few days he had been nothing but sensitive and caring. But then the memory of what he had said, about wanting to seduce her and get her out of his system crashed through her again, and it felt as though someone had stabbed a knife into her chest.

Sara shook her head as more tears trickled down her cheeks and she took another step away. “I don’t know what to think, but I need to go.”

And with that she turned and walked away. Reyes called her name once more, but Sara didn’t stop this time. Didn’t look back. Didn’t even pause.

Not this time.

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_ A/N - Oh dear, Sara's heart is broken the poor lamb, though Reyes does seem rather insistent that all is not as it seems, so perhaps he has a good explanation for his rather awful comments? W ill Sara even give him a chance to explain himself and forgive Reyes? Or will someone else come between them? Le gasp? (PS - we have some veeeeery nice art in the final chapter by the ever wonderful Artsyblacksheep!) I hope you guys enjoyed my angsty chapter - comments and reviews are, as always very loved. Thank you for reading, you can expect the next chapter in about a week. _


	10. Chapter 10

_ A/N - well, here we are. The final chapter. Thank you as always to everyone who read the previous chapter, especially if you commented - you really have made me century with your wonderful thoughts and comments. I'm not going to say much more except that I have LOVED writing this fic, and I hope you guys enjoy the final chapter. See you on the other side... _

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The ferry ride from Kadara Island back to the mainland passed by in a dull grey blur. Sara saw none of it as she sat huddled in her seat, replaying the conversation she had walked in on back in the hotel room, as well as what had followed between herself and Reyes. Anger and confusion swirled within her; one moment she wanted to cry, the next to scream, and yet some small part of her wanted to go back to Reyes and ask him  _ why _ . 

Sara sighed. He had asked her to let him explain what she had overheard, but what was the point? What explanation could there be for saying those things to Kian about her?

Easier to stay angry, to cling to the bristling anger and wrap it tightly around her and keep the pain at bay. The simmering fury at Reyes for using her, for tricking her into thinking he cared, only faded when she was in a cab and on the way back to her empty apartment. Then, and only then, did she allow the magnitude of what had happened sink in.

Reyes had  _ lied  _ to her.

He had her  _ used. _

And now … now she was  _ alone _ .

She had nothing. No family to speak of, no boyfriend, and, thanks to her busy work schedule, very few friends. On top of that, she’d quit her job, which meant that the savings she’d scraped together would have to keep her going until she found a new one, and in the current job market…

A lump formed in her throat; for the first time in years she really was completely adrift and alone. 

They arrived, and Sara paid the cab driver and made her way inside, every decision she’d made in the last twelve hours weighing heavily on her shoulders. As she closed the door, she realised her suitcase was still back in the hotel room on Kadara. A small thing really, but she didn’t doubt that Reyes would use it as an excuse to try to talk to her again. He’d already sent her several text messages asking her if she was okay and had tried to call her.

She’d switched her phone off after that.

The thought of Reyes sent a spear of pain streaking through her, and tears sprung to her eyes. She’s been so stupid to trust him, to get involved with her boss, and Sara grit her teeth as she locked her door, turning the deadbolt with more force than necessary.

Reyes had always seemed so  _ genuine _ .

Her heart twisted as she thought of the way he’d held her in the cave; how he’d teased her, kissed her, asked her to keep seeing him when they returned home. Tears flowed faster down her cheeks and she hiccuped, curling her nails into her palms. Why had he asked her to do that? Reyes could have anyone he wanted, so why lie like that? Why string her along and play with her emotions in such a cruel way?

Had it been that much fun to seduce a secretary? Had he really gotten that much of a kick out of it?

Bitterly she scrubbed at her eyes and dropped her handbag on the bench, ignoring the bleeding wound in her heart. It was her own fault for falling in love with him so quickly, she told herself; for letting him into her bed and into her heart. 

That night, Sara barely slept. 

In the morning she turned her phone back on and was greeted to a barrage of missed calls and texts from Reyes, each one increasing in worry as she failed to pick up or answer him. She felt a savage twist of pleasure that he was feeling guilty about how much he’d hurt her, and vengefully hoped he hadn’t slept much either.

It felt strange not to be going into work, even more so because she hadn’t given the two weeks notice required. But she couldn’t seem to muster the strength to care. Instead she was filled with a strange kind of restlessness, and paced around her house, occasionally glancing out the window. It took Sara all of five minutes to realise, much to her horror, that some part of her was waiting for Reyes to turn up and plead with her to take him back, maybe use her suitcase as an excuse to see her.

And worst of all? Part of her  _ wanted  _ him to turn up.

Sara gritted her teeth and deliberately turned away from the window. She forced herself to the kitchen and made some coffee and toast. Her phone buzzed again and her heart stumbled, almost lurching in her chest when she caught sight of the screen; it was another text from Reyes.

_ Open it! _ Her heart urged.  _ Open it and see what he says!  _

The desire was like a compulsion, a sickness, but Sara ignored it and flipped her phone face down and turned her back on it.

No more obsessing over her boss.

_ Ex-boss _ , she reminded herself and stomped into the kitchen to make more coffee. 

The phone buzzed several times over the next hour, ringing off and on, and Sara paced the living room, eyeing it warily. She  _ should _ just pick the phone up and tell Reyes to go to hell, but she was still fighting a perverse internal battle over him. The part of her that wanted to pick the phone up, half-wanted to do so just to hear his voice, and she refused to give into that emotional compulsion that had put her into this mess in the first place.

The problem was, another part of her was revelling in the knowledge that Reyes was worrying about her and regretting his actions, and that part of her was enjoying hurting him by ignoring his calls. She  _ wanted  _ him to feel sorry for hurting her. She  _ wanted  _ him to feel dreadful about the things he had said and the way he had treated her. She  _ wanted _ him to hurt.

Because if he was hurting, then it meant he felt something for her too.

“Oh, stop it, Sara!” she grumbled to herself, dragging a hand down her face. “He’s no good for you.” She crossed the room and finally picked up the phone, and with one swift movement she swept all the notifications of his calls and messages off the screen. “There. Out of sight, out of mind-”

She had barely finished speaking when there was a violent rap on the door and Sara jumped, almost dropping her phone. Her heart fluttered nervously and she took three or four eager steps towards the door before she stopped herself firmly.

_ No. _

There was no way in hell she was going to let Reyes manipulate her again.

“Who is it?” she called, staying well back from the door and glaring at it.

“Sara? Can you let me in so we can talk? Please?”

The voice that answered  _ wasn’t  _ Reyes’, and Sara blinked for a moment in surprise. 

“Just … just a second.”

She took a step towards the door, then forced another, and another, the eagerness she’d felt a moment before melting away. Her hands felt strangely numb as she fumbled at the lock and opened the door, her eyes falling upon a familiar, and unwelcome, face.

“William...” Sara blinked in surprise as he shuffled uncomfortably on her front step and flashed her a tentative smile. “What are you doing here?”

He rubbed bashfully at the back of his neck and gestured past her. “Can I come in? I have some things I need to say.”

She hesitated for a moment, remembering the last time he’d wanted to talk to her, but he gave her wide puppy dog eyes, and with a sigh she widened the door and waved him in, closing it behind him. William strode through to her kitchen then turned and faced her, tugging absently at his tie as he glanced around.

“That guy isn’t with you is he? Your boss?” He peered into the kitchen as though expecting him to leap out of a cupboard.

Sara shifted uncomfortably. “No, things between us didn’t work out. Not that it’s any of your business, Will. Just say what you need to say and  _ leave _ .”

He blinked as though surprised that she might want him to leave, then heaved a sigh that sounded decidedly rehearsed. Sara ignored his theatrics and pointedly glanced at her watch.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry for what happened, and not just for what happened at Kadara,” he grimaced, “but for all of it. I was a fool to treat you the way I did and run off with Jeanine. She turned out to be a real mess.” William aimed his large puppy dog eyes at her again. “I should never have left you, Sara-bear.”

Sara folded her arms and frowned. “What do you mean she turned out to be a  _ mess _ ?”

She ignored the sad eyes he was throwing in her direction; she’d been with him too long not to know when he was trying to curry favour and suck up.

“Well, she got all cold and icy with me on the weekend, for one thing. And then, after I got angry at you in the restaurant, she started talking about how I was having problems letting go and it might be better if we spent some time apart-”

Sara snorted. “She broke up with you, didn’t she?”

William flushed. “She used me! She used me and once she’d had her fill she dumped me again. I’m the victim here, Sara. Don’t twist my words around. You always do this.”

Resentment stirred in Sara like a beast waking from a nap. It sniffed the air, caught wind of William’s nonsense and stretched within her, simmering. “That,” she managed to say politely from between clenched teeth, “is ridiculous and you know it. Face it, Will; you had an affair and got dumped. You want to play the victim? Well  _ too bad _ .” She glared at him, her lip curling. “I’m done letting people manipulate me.”

For a moment his eyes burned feverishly, even angrily, and Sara took an unconscious step back. Then he forced the simpering smile back onto his face and spread his hands wide in a pleading gesture. “But Sara, sweetheart, I love you! We can put this behind us.”

She grit her teeth and strode to the door, flinging it open without looking and turning back to glare at William and gesture him out. To her horror he was on one knee, and had produced a box with a ring in it.

“I know I messed things up before, but if you give me another chance, I know I can make things right between us. And to prove it, I’m going to do something I should have done a long time ago.” He lifted the ring up, taking her hand. “Sara Ryder, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Sara couldn’t breathe. 

Blood roared in her ears.

There had been a time, only weeks ago, when this had been her dream, when she had longed for William to pop the question so she could become Ms Spender. But now the sight of him on his knees and reaching for her hand filled her with repugnance. She wanted to slap the ring away, drag him outside and slam the door in his face. 

But she didn’t. She just stared at him, frozen in horror, unsure how to make him go away.

“Say you’ll marry me, Sara-bear?” he asked again, smiling a little, apparently taking her silence as a good sign as he popped the ring from the box and drew her towards him. “Say you’ll be mine again?”

“Like hell she will!”

Sara gasped and whirled around to find Reyes on the doorstep, a savage expression on his face as he stared down at William. He looked a long way from his usual immaculate business suit-clad self; his hair was dishevelled, his tie was askew, and his eyes were blazing as he stared at the sight of William on his knees as though he was barely restraining himself from doing something dangerous.

Her heart somersaulted in her chest, pounding absurdly at the sight of him, and for a second Sara forgot that she was angry at him. She forgot everything except that Reyes was here again; he had come after her.

“You!” William spat the word and climbed to his feet, keeping hold of Sara’s hand and attempting to tug her away from Reyes. “Can’t you see we’re in the middle of something?”

Reyes looked furious. “I came to see Sara. Not  _ you _ .” 

“Well, you can wait,” William fired back. “You’re only her boss, I’m her boyfriend.” Her ex turned to face her, a sickeningly sweet expression on his face as he attempted to give her his ring. “Whatever you did on the weekend with him,” he nodded at Reyes balefully, “whatever happened, it’s in the past. I forgive you. You and I can start fresh. What do you say?”

Reyes drew in a sharp intake of breath, and from the corner of her eye, Sara saw his hands curl into fists. His mouth was drawn into a tight line; he looked furious, but at the same time there was something in his eyes that looked …  _ terrified _ . She looked back at William, hovering in front of her with his ring clutched in his hand, and scowled.

“Firstly,” she wrenched her hand back with an almighty tug, “I don’t want to marry you. I’ll be happy if I don’t ever see you again. Secondly, you cheated on me for months with your new girlfriend. Trying to accuse me of cheating just because I found someone else who makes me happy  _ after  _ we broke up is ridiculous. Thirdly, I don’t care if you’ve been dumped; I’m not taking you back. I don’t love you.” Sara scowled at him. “I don’t think I ever really did.” 

Silence fell, and William gaped at her, flushing red. His eyes darted from her to Reyes and his lip curled menacingly, like a feral dog about to bite. He drew himself up to his full height, his cruel dark eyes full of malice. 

“It’s like that is it?” He sneered. “Fine. You always were a slut,” he spat at Sara derisively. He opened his mouth to say more, but never got the chance.

Reyes moved so fast that Sara didn’t even register he’d brushed past her. One moment he was standing behind her, and the next he had swung at William and slammed his fist into his face. Her ex let out a howl of pain and doubled over, his hands clutching his nose.

“My nose!” William shrieked, clutching his face as blood dribbled down his chin and splattered onto his shirt. “You broke my nose!”

“Good,” snarled Reyes. “Don’t you ever talk about her like that again.”

William straightened and opened his mouth, evidently to retort, and Sara ducked around Reyes and grabbed hold of William before Reyes could hit him again. She dragged him, protesting, out the door and slammed it behind him, ignoring his few feeble knocks before he finally left, snuffling and complaining.

“Good riddance,” she muttered as she turned around. 

Sara looked up to find Reyes watching her, his face concerned.

“Are you okay?” he asked, scanning her face. 

“I’m fine.” She crossed her arms defensively. “What do you want, Reyes? I thought I made myself clear at the resort?”

Reyes straightened, much as William had a few moments before, but unlike Wiliam, the movement wasn’t an aggressive one. Rather, it seemed as though he was trying very hard to keep his head up, like a man who had the weight of the world on his shoulders but was attempting to stand under it anyway.

Sara watched him warily. 

“I know I hurt you, and I wanted to explain myself. I wanted to … .” Reyes paused and drew in a deep breath, as though bracing himself for something awful. “To tell you the truth. The real truth.”

“I thought I knew the truth?” she asked cautiously. 

Reyes shook his head. “That’s only part of it. The thing is,” he paused again and looked pained as he stared into her eyes. “The thing is that … what Kian said out on the balcony was true.” He drew in a breath and gazed down at his hands. “When you broke up with William, I  _ was  _ pleased. More than pleased, if I’m honest. And he was right when he said I didn’t need to have you with me on the trip. I could have done it alone, but I wanted an excuse to spend time alone with you.”

“Did you arrange the single room?” Sara asked quietly, dreading the answer.

If Reyes had done that it would be the ultimate betrayal.

He shook his head, instant denial. “No! God no! That was a genuine error on the hotel’s behalf. I just wanted to do what I told you before we left; to get you away from your apartment for a few days so you could have some time to yourself to get over him. If that meant we got to spend some time along together, then so much the better.” Reyes looked nervous, and his gaze fell away from hers. “I won’t lie to you; I was hoping something would happen between us. And,” he drew in a breath. “I wasn't exactly upset about us sharing a room. I’m sorry if that upsets you. ”

“But why?” Sara took a step towards him, a strange buzzing in her ears. “Why waste your time with me when you could have anyone you wanted?”

He looked back up, eyes pained. “Because I don’t want anyone. I want  _ you _ . Don’t you understand yet? It’s  _ always  _ been you.” 

Sara’s breath caught in her chest, and she swallowed as words failed her.

“The truth is ... I love you.” Reyes smiled faintly, as though he didn’t expect her to believe him. “I’ve been in love with you for years.” 

The room spun around her and Sara put a hand against the door to steady herself. 

“You love me?” she repeated, dumbfounded, certain she had misheard him. Reyes couldn’t be in love with her. She would have known! He would have  _ done  _ something about it! “But you’ve never said anything before. You haven’t shown any interest in me at all. Not until-”

“This weekend?” Reyes laughed humorlessly and ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it further. “What did you expect me to do? Seduce you?” 

Sara opened her mouth and then closed it again: that was  _ exactly _ what she would have expected him to do.

Reyes could see the answer in his eyes and he sighed. “You were already with William when I met you, and you were happy. I didn’t want to be the one to ruin that. I couldn't do that to you.” He took a step towards her, and when Sara didn’t step away or tell him to stop, he took another. “But the more time I spent with you, the more I realised that I was falling in love. I wanted to do something, to tell you, but I didn’t want to break up what seemed like a happy relationship.” 

His tone was genuinely forlorn, and Sara’s resolve softened. “Reyes-”

Reyes’ raised his eyes to meet hers, his gaze sad. “Don’t feel sorry for me, Sara. Just … don’t _.” _ He ran a hand through his hair. “Kian always said I was a selfish bastard, it's why he left me, but with you I tried not to be.  _ Tried _ . God knows I slipped up from time to time; I found excuses to keep you back late at work, or bring you along on business trips and dinners. Any excuse to spend time with you. I couldn’t help myself.” 

Sara’s heart began to hammer and she shook her head.  “If you felt that way, why did you make that awful comment to Kian about me?” Her eyes prickled with tears, and she blinked them away. “ _ Why _ ?”

Reyes made a small sound, as though her tears caused him pain.

“I’m sorry.” He took another step, his eyes never leaving hers. “You’ll never know how much I regret saying that, let alone you hearing it. I would  _ never  _ have done such a thing to anyone,  _ ever _ , for any reason, least of all to you. It was a stupid, hurtful thing to have said-”

“Then why?” Sara could hear the pain in her own voice. The confusion. The heartache. She didn’t bother trying to hide her turmoil any longer.

Reyes almost reached for her and then he stopped himself. “I said it years ago.  _ Years _ . It wasn’t long after I’d got back in touch with Kian. He wanted to know about you and I couldn't stand talking about you sober; admitting to him that I had fallen for someone I couldn’t get, let alone that I was in love with a woman who was already committed to someone else. I only gave him vague details about you, and about my feelings. I tried to play it off as just an attraction. Just something I-”

“Had to get out of your system,” she finished for him, and Reyes flinched but didn't look away from her. 

“I lied to him. I lied to myself. And I said it a long time ago when I was drunk and was trying to show an ex how much I wasn’t missing him.” He flushed. “I've already told you that I'm not proud of the person that I used to be, but when I fell in love with you everything changed. Even though I didn't think for a minute I had a chance with you, I tried to be better. I know it isn’t an excuse for saying what I did, but maybe knowing that I was a different person back then will at least help you understand why Kian brought it up again; he wasn’t trying to come between us, he was worried I’d gone back to my old habits.”

Sara swallowed as everything clicked into place; Kian’s silly little probing comments, his attempts to warn her away from Reyes, and even the whiskey bottle. It hadn’t been the actions of a jealous ex-lover as she had suspected, it had been Kian suspecting Reyes was finally carrying out his drunken seduction plan. He’d been concerned for both of them.

She looked up into her boss’ face, into the hazel eyes she knew so well and was torn between a desire to hit him and kiss him. Hiding his true feelings from her had become a habit for him, and it had very nearly cost them both. 

Reyes swallowed when she remained silent and he took a final step forward so he was within touching distance. “I don’t expect you to feel the same way about me as I do for you. I know you don’t love me, Sara, and that you’re still furious with me, but-”

“Shut up, Reyes.” 

Sara stepped forward and closed the distance between them, winding her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his in slow, deep kiss; her tongue swirling around his. For the briefest of seconds, Reyes seemed frozen in shock, then his arms locked around her waist, crushing her to him, and he was kissing her back, his mouth hungry and demanding against her own.

It felt like coming home.

The touch of Reyes’ body against hers, the taste of his kiss, even the scent of his aftershave, all felt achingly familiar and she let the sensation of being back in his arms sink into her. One of his hands moved up to wind into her hair, urging her closer as he kissed her again and again, his mouth opening under hers as their tongues swirled together in strokes of velvet heat. When they drew apart it was slowly, reluctantly, and with a lingering kiss that left Sara tingling and wanting more.

Reyes gazed down at her and he lifted his hands to frame her cheeks, his brilliant hazel eyes roving over her face. 

“Does this mean you forgive me?” he asked huskily as he dragged a thumb over her lower lip. “Because if that was supposed to be a kiss goodbye, I’m afraid you might need to try again.” 

Sara smiled and nuzzled his hand, kissing his palm. “Maybe I should have said something on Kadara, but you always seemed like such a playboy. I never thought you cared about me so I tried to hide how I feel.”

“How  _ you _ feel?” Reyes breathed, and Sara could see the gleam of hope in his eyes.

“I love you too,” she said simply. 

He grinned, his whole face lighting up as he caught her close and kissed her again. Sara laughed as Reyes picked her up, easily lifting her and spinning her around briefly before he put her back on her feet and claimed her mouth for yet another kiss, his hands gliding down her body possessively.

“I feel like I’m dreaming,” he confessed when he finally broke the kiss and drew back. “I had the most awful night, I was terrified that I would never see you again,” Reyes kept a hold of her as he talked, almost as though he was still afraid she might vanish on him. “And I almost died when I walked up to your apartment and heard William proposing. Then when I saw him down on one knee with your hand,” he actually went a shade paler at the memory. “I wanted to scream. I couldn’t stop myself from saying something when he actually tried to put the ring on. I just … I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you.”

Sara wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. “I’m glad you were there to help knock some sense into him.”

“I just want to look after you.” Reyes flexed slightly as he tightened his arms around her. “I don’t want anyone ever hurting you again, including me.”

She lifted her head and shushed him with a kiss. Her lips found his briefly, then she showered his face, jawline and neck with tiny little kisses and backed him slowly towards her bedroom. Reyes followed her lead, happy to take her cues as they undressed each other and made love slowly, exploring each others bodies more fully, and basking in the pleasure and happiness they gave one another.

A thought occurred to her and she pulled away from him, laughing. “The woman you fell in love with, the one who didn't love you back, that was me wasn’t it?”

Reyes chuckled and nodded. “Yes. I believe you called yourself … heartless?”

“I can't believe you let me say that about myself!” She swatted him. “I should throw you out for that!”

“Too late,” he smirked and tightened his grip on her meaningfully. “You said you love me. You'll never be rid of me now.”

 

 

Sara felt free, and giggled as she playfully pushed Reyes back against the plush pillows of her bed and straddled him. He trailed fingers up her thighs, watching her from beneath lowered lids as he traced lazy circles over her ribs, then slid them up to cup her breasts.

“Naughty,” she admonished, and caught her hands in his. “I thought I was in charge in the bedroom?”

Reyes chuckled. “Oh yes,” he agreed, raising one eyebrow as Sara pinned his hands down either side of his head. “You’re definitely the boss in the bedroom, no doubt about it.” And Reyes grinned in such a way that Sara knew he was pleased about something.

“What?” she asked, leaning down and trailing kisses down his neck, lightly nibbling his earlobe. “What’s so funny?”

“It’s just-” he hesitated for a moment, distracted as Sara began to kiss her way down his chest. “ _ That _ was my big seduction plan. You know, if things ever got that far between us. To show you that I wasn’t  _ just _ your boss. That you could be the one in control.”

She glanced up at him and grinned. “Nice plan.”

“It worked didn’t it?”

“Oh yes,” Sara agreed airily, and went back to kissing her way down his body. “I love being your boss.”

Reyes shivered as she moved between his legs, lasting onto a few minutes before he hauled her back up and into his arms with a growl of desire. He rolled them over, trapping her beneath him and holding her so close she could feel his heart thundering against her chest. 

“I love you, Sara Ryder.” He told her passionately, his voice husky with desire. “And now that I have you, I’m never letting go of you again.”

“Good,” Sara snuggled close, wrapping her legs around his waist. “Because I love you too, and I’m not planning on going anywhere.”

 

The End

* * *

 

_ A/N - I do love a happy ending! Can I say an absolutely huge thank you to Artsyblacksheep who not only did the art for this chapter, and for the whole fic, but who worked on me and really inspired me to write this. I've had a blast with this fic. A huge huge thank you to everyone who read along. I hope you guys enjoyed the final chapter. I've loved reading your comments and interacting with you. I truly hope you enjoyed this as much as I did writing it. Comments are always welcome, and of course I hope to write another Bioquin fic soon. I'm always open to requests to - so feel free! :) _

 


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